Ghost Hotel
by YorickVanRotten
Summary: There are strange things happening at the Ghost Hotel but then again, the Ghost Hotel was always strange. But when dead bodies start to appear around the area it's up to the mysterious butler Sebastian and his crew of heroes, antiheros and villains to find out the truth behind the killings...
1. Chapter 1: Red dress

_**Diary Entry:** _

I was looking for red-dress for days, following the trail of corpses she left across town. In this place of gloom, grim and gore red-dress was the sun. It's been a while since I've seen a woman like her. Even at her current situation she could still make men blush and women turn with awe. She was tall and slim with golden curls falling on her milky shoulders, with fleshy red lips and big blue eyes. Her long red dress curled around her bare feet, torn from the decades but still holding on to that brilliant bright red color. On her neck, she had a rusty bite mark, from where the sickness took her over. The blood ran thick, black and dry and the smell was awfully foul. A silver jewel fell over her breasts; an old family crest a locket, catching the pale moonlight.

Red-dress was an angel in decay, and I felt sad for the angelic realm, for losing such a precious Jewel. I was only hoping that God was watching her, so that when her beauty is forever erased in this world, He will welcome her in the Heavens.

It's been a century since red-dress died, down at the old graveyard, made by the first settlers, her tombstone wrote 17-, beloved daughter and sister. Red-dress was nineteen when she died and in full bloom. But her flower weathered away in the winter of 17-, when a pandemic broke and had of the town's people perished to it. Of course, historians filed it as a plague, which started through during the civil war. It was nothing like a plague though; it was the work of one Necromancer and his rise to glory. Red-dress was one of his victims. But she slept, for centuries in her cold dark grave until now; the Necromancer returned and took over what he left half way.

Red-dress was raised from the grave along with a bunch of mummified corpses, but she was the only one who was granted beauty in death.

She was walking in the streets, alone and lost, dragging her red dress on the asphalt, surrounded by fog and mists. The rain started sizzling down, cold and chilling. She looked up, tilting her head on the side to watch the rain fall. She raised a hand, long finger with blackened fingertips to catch the drops. It seemed so unnatural to her, the rain, the fog the clouds, even the night. As if they were all supernatural things that shouldn't be happening.

I watched her from afar; over the rooftops of old buildings which survived from the early twenties after the earthquake. Most of the town was renovated now, the streets were oozing with cars and motorcycles, and these few old buildings were the only ones who kept a nostalgic feeling to this place, of old times past.

After a brief stop red-dress continued her death march. Moving slowly like a child taking her first steps, with spastic gestures to keep her balance. Her feet were like rubber, her entire body was fragile, she could easily fall down and break a bone, but since she was already dead, she would rise up and drag her broken limps till the end of the march.

I walked slowly following her, she was disoriented and couldn't understand what was going on around her, her mind was gone and idle, the only thing that kept her up on her feet was the Necromancer's magic. Underneath that body there was only dust and rusty bones.

She heard a sound coming from an alley; it caught her attention and stopped. She tilts her head on the side again curiously, watching the darkness spilling out of the alley. The top of a trash bin rolled out and a cat run before it. After a second she started moving again towards the alley. I could smell sweat and booze; someone was passed out among the trash. I run ahead, jumping over the rooftops and dropping in to the alley. It was nothing but an old man, with his drink in his hand and snoring like a beast. Red-dress showed up around the corner, moving slowly as always. Her dress brushing the ground and her bare feet tapping the brick alleyway.

I pushed the man out of the way and walked towards her. We stopped just a few feet away from each other and admired her angelic beauty one last time. She hissed as I unsheathed my sword with an incredible speed, like a big cat she run at me. It only took one swing to take the magic out of her. The blood splattered in the air like spring flowers. Red-dress dropped on the ground, blood spilling out darker than ever from her severed neck and she was no more. All colors disappeared as she dried out to a corpse. A little white shine, so tiny, as tiny as a star flew out of her chest, swirl around her and rose up to the sky hiding behind the clouds. I knew then that God was indeed watching after her, waiting for this moment to take her away back where she belonged.

I picked up her body and took her to the cemetery to bury her. The dress hadn't lost its color and even as the dirt fell on her, the dress stayed bright under the sand. When the grave was closed all the colors disappeared and the world turned grey again, sad and empty.

Igor tip toed towards me shyly, small and crouching as he walked and rubbing his hands. His curly hair falling over his deathly pale face and purple lips his eyes dark and shadowy. He was as grey as misery, with no light and no color on him. Centuries dead but still kicking like a mad man. Igor was forever with me, since I was a little girl. He always looked after me, always followed me around. But he was missing the colors of the world; he was missing that breath of spring, that light, that red color of life. Igor's soul though was pure and sometimes the light hides behind the darkness, behind a scale of grey and sometimes the darkness hides behind the light, in scales of brilliant bright colors.

'Master.' He said shyly, with his rusby voice, which sounded almost sinister and threatening. 'Shall I be some service to you?' he went out to reach for my sword, though I knew very well, despite his vampiric nature he couldn't lift a sword so big and heavy, yet he still tried and struggled with it, because he wanted to be some use to me.

'No Igor that'll be enough.' I said taking one last reminder of red-dress's tomb, 1886, beloved daughter and sister. Remembering I too had siblings once, sisters and brothers, which I loved and cherished, mourned and buried.

'Will the Master hunt the Necromancer now?' Igor questioned.

'No. Not yet.'

The silence was calming, relaxing. It fit perfectly well with this colorless world. I raised my head up and watched the clouds. Tiny snowflakes soon filled the air, tapping gently the ground. I watched the snow fall, remembering that I used to like the snow and the games we played when we were young. So…so young…such a long…long ago. I couldn't remember the colors of my childhood I could even remember the noise of those years. All I knew was that I wasn't that innocent child anymore, the one who dreamed and laughed for silly things. I couldn't even recognize myself in my own reflection. Many times, I wondered who's this thing staring back at me. What is this creature, this unnatural being? My own face became alien. I felt like another soul tossed in someone else's body, my real body gone, rotting away in some nameless grave.

'Master…' He reached out to touch me but in a breath, he pulled away frightened and shy. He was only a servant and I was the master.

The tapping of the snow was becoming louder and louder. Bang, bang like bombs falling. My eyes flickered with each sound. My heart trembled and I got angst. It was almost as if the ground was moving, cracking, breaking. Bang, bang. The snow kept falling and Igor's thick voice sounded from a distance as if miles away, coming from another world.

 _S.V._


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome to the Ghost Hotel

'Sebastian…' she knocked her knuckles on the counter. 'Sebastian…'

Sebastian snapped out of his day dreaming and looked at the girl standing in front of him with the big brown eyes and long flaming red hair wearing a maids black and white uniform.

'It's time to make your rounds.' Scarlet tapped a finger on the schedule on the counter in front of him.

Sebastian pulled his golden pocket watch, pressed the tiny button on the top and it flipped opened. The watch ticked, almost midnight. Sebastian took a deep breath, hid the watch in his pocket and leaned under the counter taking out that old copper lantern and light it up. It was such a nice old vintage lamp, it used to be red but the paint got peeled off through the years. Now it was plain copper, sad and lonely. This lamp was a true relic, passed down from butler to butler.

'Well goodnight Sebastian. I'll be seen you tomorrow.'

Sebastian bowed gently like a proper gentleman and watched her go, entering the servant's quarters. The lobby became silent again. While just an hour ago, it was full of people coming and going, full of voices, laughter and noise. It was strange how quickly everything turned silent from one moment to the next. It kind of frightened him for some reason even if he was accustomed to the silence.

Sebastian fixed his red tie and black vest. He checked his pocket watch again 23:56. Almost time to start his rounds. The entire building smelled of carnations masking the smell of wax and wood. A timeless chandelier sway on the ceiling over his head. Those candles never melted they never run out. They firstly lit the very time the Ghost Hotel opened its doors and nothing could turn them off, not even the strongest wind not even the rain.

It was a tradition for the butter to make the rounds in the hallways and corridors of the Ghost Hotel, to make sure all the guests were sleeping and not wondering around in the ghoulish hallways especially during night time when the shadows come out to play.

Nobody was allowed to wonder in the hallways of Ghost Hotel during midnight till early morning hours. That was when the Hotel became alive and every specter came to existence. When the paintings on the walls moved and the armors rattled. When old black and white pictures burned over and over again. The shadows breathed on every corner as midnight was approaching they grew darker, scarier, swallowing the light in their pass.

There were times of course the guests would wonder off with the ghouls of the night and ended up leaving the Hotel screaming and running for dear life. So, for safety measures Sebastian had to make the rounds every midnight and warn the guests who were willing to step out of their rooms not to. Room service run twenty-four hours a day yet the guests weren't allowed to leave the room in any occasion, except if the occasion was considered life threatening. The employees were different, they used to be ordinary people but special circumstances had changed that. It wasn't a bother for them to walk out at night but for people it was.

Ghost Hotel was one and only, there was no other like it. It was surrounded by forests, snowy mountain tops, fjords lakes and rivers. You could get a glimpse of the ocean if you stood on the Hotel's highest tower, but just a peak of it. The nearest town was five to six hours away. It was completely isolated and it wasn't placed on any map or media. Legend has it that, the Hotel was built on Fae territory and that the first owner had made a deal with the high prince of the Fae to allow him build the Hotel. Some say its was made over the ruins of an ancient temple which was used as a gateway during the ancient times, to enter the Fae realm. Others say that when the Bifrost fell during Ragnarok, some of the fragments of the rainbow bridge had fallen on the very spot the Hotel was build and there for it serves as a cross way between the nine worlds. There were many myths and legends surrounding this place and these stories of the Folk had made Mister Lazuli take the decision to raise his Hotel here.

Ghost Hotel was like a well-kept secret, known mostly by very old families who lived around the area and participated in the structure of the Hotel, royal families and of course _specially selected guests_.

The were some rules, though, that had to be kept. Like the main and most important rule: Not to enter the hallways or any other area of the Hotel during night time. Also: Never interact in a personal level with the staff or ask privet questions about the staff. And: Do not enter certain locations as well as floors, rooms etc. which are restricted areas inside and outside the Hotel and can be only access by the owners, staff and butler. These prime rules were had to be obeyed by everyone unexceptionally for everyone's safety and to keep the staffs' true identities a secret.

Ghost Hotel was a 17th century gothic structure, with towers, arches and columns made of stone and wood, painted windows, roman gardens and a labyrinth. It took four years to build and another year until it was fully furniture and ready to open its doors. The Hotel stayed the same throughout the years without renovations. Despite its old age the Hotel was always looking ravishing and brand new as if it was made the day before. The only touch they had put in was an electric line to make things easier and cut the coast of candles and torches.

The Hotel was a curse. Made of cursed stone the most exquisite and special one. The sacred wood is what kept the curse at bay. It was of ash, yew and elder. The entire building was held by a magical paste made from an old crazy druid who used to live around these parts, climbing trees butt naked.

The furnishing was imported from Europe and Asia, the best ever made and the most expensive. The chandelier was made in a monastery, out of bones of the diseased as an ode to their memory. But no one could tell that it was bone and not iron painted white. The rooms were decorated accordingly, simply yet comfy. There were of course the special rooms, for the wealthier ones, like the Roman room or the Greek room.

The garden was decorated with roman statues of gods and goddesses and a tall white wooden gazebo. It was beautiful and marvelous, sad and lonely. Many secret loves had been confessed under that gazebo, many kisses and hugs were shared and many vows of eternal love were promised. If that gazebo could talk, the stories of love it would tell, would've made the most romantic poet turn jealous.

The labyrinth was made of rose bushes that never withered not even during winter. In the center of the Labyrinth there was the fountain with the statue of a elven woman, Lorelai. It was a tribute to the elf who fell in love with a mortal man and was cast out of the Fae realm to wonder forever in the human world. There was a folk song, called Lorelai's Lament, which narrated Lorelai's exile and the loss of her beloved mortal husband during a time of war. The labyrinth was in honor to Lorelai, on which, Lapis Lazuli I was a great admirer of her story.

Lapis Lazuli I was the son of a merchant who owned ships that sailed to the West Indies. Victor Lazuli was one of the most well-known merchants in the North and many great things were said about his him. Lapis Lazuli I grew up in his father's mansion near the port where the family's ships set sail. He was a lover of history, literature, music and the supernatural. He always found the dark side fascinating. He had a sixth sense ever since he was young, something he had inherited from his grandmother, from his mother's side. She could talk to ghosts and was a very famous psychic and fortune teller when she was alive. Even the Queen had visited her once to have her fortune read. Lapis had spent a lot of time with his grandmother, in her countryside home among the spirit that often visit her. He taught him how to keep the good ones in and the bad ones out. How to draw and make protection signs and use words of power to keep all evil at bey and away from him. Lapis kept in contact with his grandmother even after her death and even gave her a nice room, specially made for her, in one of the towers that faced the garden. She loved flowers ever since she was young and never liked the city life. Lapis thought to honor her and give her, her own space whenever she visited the Hotel.

When Lapis Lazuli I passed away he was succeeded by his wife, then by his son and so on. The Hotel was never sold to another individual, it was strictly a family business. Now the Hotel had fallen in the hands of Madam Lazuli and her teenage son, Lapis Lazuli III. Madam Lazuli didn't have her great-great grandfather's gifts but her son did. The Lazuli family were always eccentric and as the Madam always said, they were like the Adam's family.

It was the Madam who hired Sebastian as the butler, around thirty years ago when she was still young. The previous butler was found _incompetent_ to succeed his duties and another one was found. But the truth is he turned mad and had to be banished from the Hotel for the safety not only of the guests but also of the employees.

Sebastian came around then, a young charming man, who was tall, slim and slender, with long black hair and big blue eyes, snow white face and rosy lips. He was around…Sebastian was always around, before the Hotel was even build, he even knew Lapis Lazuli I. He simply knocked the Hotel's door one day and the Madam immediately took him in. Nobody could resist such a charming handsome man no matter how dark and shadowy he was. But Sebastian proved to be good…until now. It was just that _only_ the Madam knew _what_ he was the rest of the staff had no idea. For them he was just the handsome butler, a breath of freshness in contrast with the previous elderly butler. He also had a certain impact on the specters hiding in the Hotel. The shadows didn't crawl around him though they whispered his name. The ghouls didn't toy with him, they didn't even try. He kept the balance among everything in the Hotel, and in all these years he started working there, there were no troubles and no problems at all.

Sebastian was… unique. his real name was also kept a secret. The Madam named him after her favorite Cockney Rebels song _"Sebastian"_ and because it was almost a rule that every household that had a butler, should the butler's name be Sebastian, she named him that. One though had to be careful with him and not get him out of line. That was the only advise Madam Lazuli gave to the staff. Sebastian shouldn't get angry because if he did bad things would've happened. And as it seemed Sebastian was always kept satisfied throughout these past three centuries of the Hotel's life. As of why, nobody knew. Only the Madam had knowledge of him.

Sebastian took a deep breath and pat his flat belly, sucking in all the scent of carnation which was slowly fading. He had to remember to tell the maid to spray again tomorrow morning. The guests shouldn't be disturbed by the stench of wax and wood. He slowly made it up the stairs. 23:59 the pocket watch show. His shiny shoes thumbed on the staircase.

The old clock in the dining room sounded. Midnight...


	3. Chapter 3: The Body (Part 1)

It was awfully quiet and the hallways were empty. Outside the wind was raging and the trees were knocking on the windows like tortured souls looking for help. Sebastian's lantern shined, ghastly, in the darkness as the shadows moved in each and every corner to avoid the light. On the walls the portraits of the past owners hanged, dim and quiet. Sebastian smiled to them and made a little nod. The eyes moved and ghostly figures came out of the pictures to greet him. They bowed and waved. Lapis Lazuli I, touched the brim of his hat with his fingertips and nod gently.

Sebastian was on his way to the third floor. Climbing up the staircase to the top. Here it was the armoury, where old silver shiny armours stood guarding the floor, clutching their spears and swords. The armours rattled, shifting their weights from one foot to the other. Someone yawned and someone's helmet had slipped closed, clanking in the silence. Sebastian smirked. The armours were big and clumsy and they often fell asleep on the watch.

'Hello Sir!' said the General with a baritone voice. 'It's quiet tonight as always.'

'I see…' Sebastian kept smiling as a snoring sound came from behind him. One of the Armours had fallen asleep again. Sebastian guessed it must've been Armour Knight Number-Six. Number-Six was always taking naps during night time. He just couldn't get enough sleep, in day time when the Armours normally slept.

The Madam had given them names, more like numbers, except the General who was simply the General, or AG for short!

'Hey you wake up.' Number-Five yelled, hitting Number-Six at the back of the helmet.

'I'm awake. I'm awake.' Number-Six said with a tired voice.

'No sleeping during duty.' The General reminded it.

'It's alright.' Sebastian said glancing over his shoulder. 'Everything seems to be fine tonight. No need to worry.'

'Aye Sir.' The General hit his heels together. 'But we still need to keep an open eye. You never know what lurks around here.'

'I'm glad you're so passionate with your work General.'

'Thank you Sir. I appreciate it. I…We'll do our best.'

'Keep up the good work!'

Sebastian left the armoury towards the three towers. Everything was calm and peaceful; all the guests were sleeping and the ghosts were quiet. Not even the wolves howled this haunting night.

Thunders sounded in the distance, slithering in the sky like dragons. It would start raining soon and as it seemed a storm was nearing.

Sebastian hated the wind, he didn't like it. Such winds bring awful changes and he was alarmed of what might come in the following days.

He stopped for a while at one of the windows and took a look outside. He could barely see anything. There was no moon, no stars nothing. Just the ghastly shadowy figures of swaying tress. Sebastian tried to calm down. This wind was making him angst. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to think of something else. Of sunny beaches, golden sands and blue skies. A place he had trapped inside his mind for decades. A place that unfortunately didn't exist anymore.

There was a painful sting in his heart and Sebastian, touched his chest and clutched his shirt in his fist. Remembering that place wasn't doing anything good to him but it was the only way he could toss away his anxiety. He tried to calm the pain and think of something else, something that had nothing to do with the Summer Lands and that island in his head. Sebastian breathed, inhaling, exhaling a couple of times until the ache was gone. He opened his eyes only to see that the rain was already spilling from the sky. The shatter was flapping on the stone wall and Sebastian opened the window to close it. The wind hit him like a wave and his hair were blown back. The smell of blood stroke him and his senses became hype like a wild animal's.

He sniffed the air, leaning just a little down the window. It was human blood and it wasn't coming from a cut or a small wound. The blood was pouring and it was fresh. Sebastian tilt his head on the side. It was so strange. There weren't any humans outside at this time of hour or any humans around except the guests. But the stench of blood was coming from outside.

Sebastian's eyes narrowed, the irises turned thin like spikes. He closed the shutter quickly and locked the window. He run back through the floors to the lobby. He put the lantern on the reception desk and went outside but Scarlet was already on the move.

She was in the front yard, dressed in her white nightgown, holding a big heavy long sword. She glanced over her shoulder, her face visibly changed. Veins popped under her pale skin and her eyes were turning cloudy black. Little white fangs grew from her clenched teeth. She was angry and worried at the same time. And it was normal because in all these ten years she's been at the Hotel, there wasn't any incidents such as this.

'Sebastian…' even her voice had changed, it became heavier like the voice of a creature than that of a woman's.

'I smell it too.' He reached her. 'This way.' He said and went south from the Hotel in to the forest.

It didn't take them long until they found the source of the stench and even if it was dark as Hel, and windy Sebastian could still track any smells from miles and miles away. They stepped to a clearing where the river run like a thick vein from the mountains towards the ocean. There laid the body of a young female, with long blond curly hair, dressed in white and a red robe. She was lying on the ground lifeless. Eyes still opened, mouth slightly shut. Blood stained her nightgown, spilling on the ground and in to the river. One hand was in the water. She was gutted and half eaten. There were claw marks on her arms and legs and a big fresh scar across her face that made her almost unrecognizable. Her throat was torn opened, her head lolling over the bank of the river, barely attached to her body.

Sebastian and Scarlet stood there watching her, firstly trying to figure out if she was one of the guest who somehow made it out during the night or an unfortunate passer-by. Then the tragedy of her death hit them and they couldn't think anymore.

'We need to warn the Madam.' Sebastian said.

Scarlet turned around to head for the Hotel.

'And wake up the Doctor. He needs to see this.'

Scarlet nod and run as fast as she could. Sebastian stepped closer to the unfortunate girl. He kneeled down and moved her golden locks, now soaking in her blood, away from her face. She was a pretty little thing, so young and vulnerable….so…dead…he thought.

'Pity.' He said with no sense of emotion. His face turned cold and apathetic. But he wasn't feeling so cold and apathetic for the one who did this. In all the years of his presence at the Hotel nobody and nothing managed to create a problem in his watch. Sebastian saw this as a call for war and he wasn't willing to lose.

He got up and dragged his tired feet back to the Hotel. His face hid in the shadows of the forest and his eyes turned bloody red, glowing in the darkness.


	4. Chapter 4: The Body (Part 2)

'Yes, I see.' The Doctor had the body of the woman placed on a table in his study, rather his lab. Which was stationed in the northern tower which was one of the restricted areas of the Hotel.

His study was filled with all kinds of strange inventions and artefacts, he had gathered from his travels across the globe. Things that couldn't even be explained. There were also piles and piles of books all around the place. On the bookshelves, on the coffee table, on his desk, even on the floor. There was one side of the lab dedicated to his…collection of strange creatures and parts, like tentacles which he claimed he had cut from the Kraken, a clawed hand of a hairy beast he claimed was the Yeti, even a jar with an alien in it and so on.

The Doctor liked to work in candle light and refused to put an electric line in his tower. Sebastian thought it was best because at least the candle light was faint and they didn't had to face the horrors of the Doctor's workshop.

'I'm done.' He said one hour later.

The doctor wiped his bloody hands and took off his round glasses. He was young and beautiful, with short greasy black hair and blue eyes. He had a charming birthmark on his cheek right under his left eye which was kind of cute. But with the bloody apron and the bloody sleeve covers all his curtness was gone.

He was Dr John Jacques Seward, or as he was better known as Jack. He used to be Abraham VanHelsing's student back in the day, not until Jack turned mad and started searching for eternal life and youth. His footsteps finally brought him to the Ghost Hotel, in order to retire from his _psychosis_. And since the spot of the physician was opened, the Madam made him the Hotel's official doctor as long as he was _good_ and not disturbed her guests or use them for his experiments.

Of course, Jack had a darker past, one that everyone was aware of. He was also constantly monitored because he couldn't be trusted. Jack might've seemed kind and charming but he was hiding a bloodthirsty devil under all that beauty of his. The experiments he made requested sometimes…things he had to rip out of people to use.

During his time in England he became famous for all the wrong reasons and quite the figure in the tabloids. Jack liked to play games and what he did in England _was_ one of his games, confusing the officials and toying with them. He had soon though forgotten all about his little experiment and all he did was play. And he played well, made all the rules and everyone else followed. He terrorized the entire country in 1888, just for a few months but were enough to bring nightmares in every household and make people lose trust of their neighbour. Jack claimed it was the biggest fun he ever had. Though it wasn't fun for the people or for Jack's victims. The tabloids talked about him for years and he still haunts peoples' minds, mostly the mystery behind his identity. Who would've known that Dr John Jacques Seward was Jack the Ripper?

The truth was that even if they had captured him, they couldn't kill him. Jack had enough vampire blood running in his veins to regenerate even a sever arm. That primordial blood, on which all vampires came from was freshly injected in his veins years ago. He hadn't turned in to a vampire, but rather a hybrid that couldn't die or grow old, the only way to kill him was to cut off his head. But for now, he was playing good and the Hotel needed a doctor. Also Sebastian was always on the lookout with him and even Jack the Ripper knew _not_ to go against Sebastian. Sebastian wasn't playing anyone's games.

'Obviously the wounds were made by an animal…' Jack said. 'But since there are no bears around we rule that out. A wolf couldn't do all this damage so we are looking for something else I guess.'

'Anything else?' Sebastian asked.

'No. Unfortunately dead people don't talk. And if she has no spiritual power she won't be able to come back. Unless…' Jack sneered wickedly. 'You'd like to bring the old doctor back!'

'No thank you.' Scarlet said.

'Wise choice. I didn't like him either.' Jack agreed. 'I mean, come on Jekyll was a beast.'

'There must be something else there.' Sebastian said.

Jack looked at him blinking. 'No. There isn't.'

Sebastian glared at him and Jack caught the message.

'She died due to sever blood loss.' Jack said stepping back at the table and wearing his surgical gloves. With a surgical knife, he dug in the poor woman's wounds having a second look.

'The wound on her throat indicates that the attacker came from behind. This is a bite mark.' He looked up at the two. 'There is saliva but I can't do anything with it.' He touched the knife on the bile at the edges of the opened wound and pulled it up. The bile was sticky, thick and stretchy. 'There are also signs of struggles, which means the woman fought with her attacker. Her hands were held…' he put the knife down and took her arm, turning it a little to show the blue-black bruises around her wrists. 'She eventually gave up or fainted either from pain or blood loss. Then the attacker moved down…' Jack pointed at her torn opened belly. 'I hate to say that she must've been still alive when it ate her. The arteries on the neck are still connected, which means there was blood flow and the heart was still beating. But she was unconscious and hopefully she didn't understand a thing. She died though soon after. There are teeth marks on some of the organs and the heart is missing.'

Jack leaned on the table resting his legs and taking a break from the examination. 'According to the bite marks and the length of the claws the creature must've been about eight to ten feet tall.'

Silence fell in the lab…almost silence if it wasn't for the bubbling tube with the green liquid on Jack's desk. While Sebastian and Scarlet were thinking quietly Jack found his change to take off the gloves, again, and the bloody apron. He covered the body with a sheet and pulled the string on near the door which was connected to a bell, that run down to the servant's quarters, calling out someone to take the body away.

The two brothers growled and cursed as they crawled out of bed, half naked with only their trousers on. The stumbled on the cold floor to find their shoes and something to wear over their naked shoulders.

'This isn't right.' Parrhasius muttered half asleep.

Lycastus turned on the light and got hit by the sudden brightness. He flashed his pearly white teeth and muttered something in Greek while rubbing his eyes.

'How did we ended up like this?' Parrhasius kept complained. 'We turned from heroes to someone's lackeys.'

'It's not like we could do anything heroic this day and age.' Lycastus turned around to see his own face staring back at him.

The twins were identical, even _they_ got confused sometimes of who they were. Nobody could tell them apart not even Sebastian who was a sucker for details. Parrhasius and Lycastus were demigods, sons of Ares, big macho men with olive skin and dirty curly blond hair. They both had a faint beard growing on their cheeks, the same birth marks even the same scars. There was nothing different between them. Even their opinions were the same, their likes their dislikes. Many times, they had fought with each other because they liked the same woman, or food or drink. For them there had to be two of the same things they liked so they didn't have to fight on who will get it first.

They've been at the Hotel ever since it was build. They were the oldest employees here and the staff often threw parties to honour them for their long-lasting loyalty. Lapis Lazuli I met them in a trip in Greece. The brothers were travellers too but had settled down because the sudden change of the world didn't catch up with them and they couldn't get used to all the machinery that started popping out. When the Hotel was build Lapis Lazuli I send them a message, inviting them to join the crew. The brothers found the idea intriguing since there would be others like them or at least similar and they didn't have to be alone. Also because the Hotel needed a hero or two, in this case. The brothers travelled from Greece to the North and stayed at the Hotel ever since.

'You are right.' Parrhasius agreed. 'Wonder what happened now.' He found a piece of cloth that looked like a shirt and wore it. The sleeves were cut off leaving his masculine arms bare.

Lycastus took a same shirt and wore it. All they did was unconsciously. They weren't doing anything on purpose like wearing the same cloths or shoes. Everything they did was spontaneous. Their consciousness was connected so it was normal that they wore, talked and walked the same way, or liked the same things. They were one person split in two.

The brothers marched out of their room and went up the servant's stairwell to Jack's tower. When they reached his lab they knocked and waited for a sign. The door opened and Jack showed them in. Their eyes instantly fell on the body lying on the table. They both got worried and alarmed for such horrific things do not happen in Sebastian's watch and they wondered who on earth was foolish enough to declared war against the butler.

'Well…this is unexpected.' Lycastus muttered putting his arms on his waste, so did Parrhasius. 'What would you like to do with her?'

'Burn it.' Jack said.

'No.' Scarlet protested. 'She's a person. I'm sure there is someone out there who's looking for her.'

' _If_ someone was looking for her she _wouldn't_ be out here all alone.' Jack said.

Scarlet thought about it. Jack had a point but she was still human and she deserved a proper funeral. 'We should burry her.'

'Are you mad?' Jack got upset. 'We cannot risk that. If anyone finds out we are hiding a corpse they'll come after us and we've been playing lowkey for a long, long time.'

'It's just not right.' Scarlet insisted.

'The mad doctor is right.' Parrhasius said. 'It's too risky to bury her. If someone or better _something_ digs her out, then what? The Hotel's good reputation will be ruined and nobody will come here anymore.'

'What ever did this?' Lycastus asked. He went over to the body and looked under the sheet. By the way he grimaced Parrhasius could tell he had witnessed something horrible he didn't need to see. 'By the Gods.' Lycastus was disgust. 'It's been years since I've seen something like this.'

'We need to keep quiet for the moment.' Sebastian said. 'The Madam has already been informed. For now, we don't know who or what did this so we must be careful.'

'Any suspects?' Parrhasius.

'Full of muscle yet stupid.' Jack mattered, winning an angry glare from Parrhasius.

'I could say it looks like a werewolf.' Lycastus mentioned. 'But...I don't know there's something confusing about it.'

Sebastian frowned. 'Meaning?'

'We've seen many…things in our lifetimes but this is beyond a rabid werewolf's bite. To me it looks like it was searching for something.'

Jack's eyes widen, he didn't expect something like that from muscle twin. Everyone looked at the doctor who didn't even think about it until now. 'It could be.'

'Let me take a look.' Parrhasius pushed the doctor away and pulled the sheet off. 'Dear Zeus all mighty.' He quickly covered the corpse and swallowed the bile speeding up his throat. 'Yeah it was definitely searching for something.'

'The heart is missing but I simply supposed it was devoured.' Jack noted.

'Or taken.' The twins said in chorus.

'But why steal a heart?' Jack looked at them waiting for an answer but nobody was willing to say something. He had to look in his books to see in what kind of ritual the heart could be used in or it's supernatural meaning.

Sebastian tied his arms on his chest looking sceptic. He just couldn't bear the idea that something was turning against him. Nobody ever did, nobody in decades. Usually everyone avoided him, so why should someone all of a sudden challenge him like this? Or was it that, Sebastian had nothing to do with it and whatever killed the girl did it without having any knowledge of him.

It could be possible, he thought. After all nobody knew his true identity, except of Madam Lazuli. Not even her son knew about him and Madam Lazuli knew very well how to keep a secret. There for it wasn't on purpose. What ever happened it wasn't because of Sebastian. Yet he couldn't let his guard down. He knew deep down there was a surprise waiting for them at the end of this mystery.

'Burn her.' Sebastian said. Scarlet went ahead to say something but Sebastian stopped her by raising his hand to halt. 'Do it now and far, far away from here. Make sure nobody notice anything.'

The twins nod and started wrapping the girl's body in the sheet.

'This isn't right.' Scarlet whispered. She was obviously not agreeing with the treatment this girl was getting, but she knew the risks taken if they buried her. It was the only way.

'Tomorrow we'll search the forest. We'll take turn so that the guest won't suspect anything.'

'Where are you going?' Jack asked, after seen Sebastian heading for the window. Sebastian wasn't going to leave the room by the door like a proper gentleman. He was taking the short way around.

'Hide the evidence. We can't let our customers find a pool of blood by the river.'

'But there can be evidences there.'

'There's nothing there. Whatever did this left no tracks.'

'Are you sure?'

'Positive.'

Sebastian smirked his eyes glowing bright red. He opened the window and the wind blew in the study making piles of papers fly around. Jack tried to catch whatever he could. Sebastian jumped off the window and in to the night. Jack immediately run closing the window, not risking a second to lose any more of his researches.

The brothers picked the girl's body and headed their way. Scarlet joined them, at least she could pretend they were having a funeral service to honour the girl. Tomorrow was dawning a new day at the Ghost Hotel and she was determinate to find what ever did this.

Jack watched the party go grinning. He sat at his desk putting his feet up and filling up a glass of red wine. He had to clean the table but it didn't have to be tonight. He sang himself a tavern song excited by the way the events had turned out. He was also desperate to see who was able to defy the peace of this place and do such horrible things. Jack knew this was going to be something he would enjoy.


	5. Chapter 5: The Madam

Sebastian stood outside the office. He was hesitating to go in wondering what kind of explanation he could make to calm her down. He knew she wasn't much for words and since she already knew _who_ he really was that made her lose trust over him. This time though it was different, he couldn't cover it up. There was a dead girl at the Ghost Hotel deader than the dead and she wasn't coming back. Worse of all the culprit was still out there and Sebastian had no clue as of who or what it was. There were no clues not eye witnesses nothing to point him somewhere. He stayed up all night trying to find something, anything to help him. He even sent messengers to the village. They found information about the girl but no clue of the murderer. That wasn't good…it wasn't good at all.

Worse of the worse was that it happened at his watch. He should've known something was lurking out in the dark. There was always something out there. Even in the silence there was always, _always_ something out there. He should've been more careful, more thoughtful. But he let himself calm down and relax because there were in incidences in the past forty years. Not ever since the old butler left and it couldn't be him. He was swimming in the bottom of the ocean with the fishes, Sebastian made sure the butler was dead and remained dead. Sebastian slapped his cheeks to wake up but his mind kept drifting off to last night's incident. Who, what, where, when…he kept on asking and it was the only thing he could do.

Sebastian took a few deep breaths trying very hard to clear him mind and knocked on the door. Once he entered the smell of carnation and old junk hit him in the face like a tennis ball. It was shadowy and dark though the sun was at its peak. The curtains were drawn and the only source of light was the vintage copper desk lamp, with the glass shade, painted with colourful flowers.

The smell of moulding paper and ink mixed with all the stench of the office. There was a large bookcase on the left wall, with books that gathered lots of dust and spider webs. Books that were never read by the Madam or anyone else in decades. Lapis Lazuli I was a lover of literature and used to collect all kinds of books, from romantic novels, to poetry collections and cook books. He collected anything just as long it was in the shape of a book. And he used to read a lot even when he was traveling. He used to invite his friends to read books and have little sessions where they discussed what they read about and they used to talk for hours and hours. There was a bookcase in every single room, filled with books for everyone to read. And it was one of the best things in the Hotel cause one could finds books and scripts written up to ten centuries ago.

A series of masks were hanging beside the bookcase wearing different grotesque expressions, some sad, some angry, some laughing with him. Following, on the same wall, in wooden frames there were hand painted scrolls depicting farming life, herons standing on one legs, nightingales on cherry trees and sacred mountains.

On the right, there was a triclinium, dressed in white cotton and lace, and covered with red silk that hanged carelessly on the wooden floor. A coffee table right beside it and two curule seats and a stool. The Persian carpets were covering almost the entire floor leaving but the furniture to stand on the wood.

An elephant's head was covering a large part of the wall above the marble fireplace. It wasn't real though, it was a statue, made of plaster and the ivory wasn't real either it was wood covered in pearls. Under it hanged two African spear and a shield. On the two side of the fireplace hanged two tapestries, with figures dancing or standing in strange movements and golden hats. Those were from India, Sebastian was sure of it. At the top of the fireplace was a cross-legged Buddha, at the corner a Chinese porcelain vase with bamboo sticks in it, that was almost as big as him.

The Madam was sitting behind her black desk she bought from an action in Paris. It was said, it belonged to Hugues de Paynes the first grandmaster of the Knights Templar. The legs were carved with leaves and swirling branches and the desk was still smooth enough despite the few scratches on the edges. There were many drawers and hidden compartments, like drawers within drawers. And had a small cabinet that was always locked. The key was gone for centuries, probably buried with the last owner. But the Madam liked the mystery and never tried to open it and see what was hiding inside.

The Madam was big, short and big sized. She was always dressed for a funeral, with her corsets and black Victorian dresses. And her tiny black hats with black feathers shoved among a wave of black curls. Her face was painted white, her lips bloody red and her eyes dyed with black shadow and eyeliner.

Sebastian knew all too well, that the Madam didn't like the fact she had to inherit this Hotel and spend the rest of her life her. The Madam hated her entire life and kept on repeating that the Ghost Hotel had ruined everything. She was like a prisoner here but without the iron bars and with lots of luxury. She hated the fact she had to deal with dead people she couldn't even see, she hated the fact the staff had so many secrets and she had to give battles everyday with the customers and everyone else to keep their secrets secret. She hated to explain to people if one of her employees was acting strangely or different, or why the tea cups kept on shifting or moving by themselves. She even hated the fact she was forced to get married so she could give birth to a successor because the Hotel _had_ to stay within the family. She simply hated everything that had to do with the Hotel. She only stayed her because she _had_ to stay.

After last night's incident, she couldn't sleep either. She stayed awake afraid someone will eventually find out about the creatures she was hiding and come and burn the entire place down along with her. She doubted if anyone of them would even think of saving her. Maybe it was better this way, she often thought, if she died the torment would end just as long as she didn't come back as one of the ghosts hunting the ruins of a once notorious Ghost Hotel. She just wanted to open those bloody doors and run away, far, far away from this disastrous Ghost Hotel.

'Sebastian…' she said with a hoarse voice she got from smoking opium for years. It calmed her nerves and helped with her depression.  
'Why did that thing happened?' she was trembling and her eyes were red and teary. Her fists were clutched on the desk and she was intense as if she wanted to grab Sebastian's head and bang in ton the wall until it split.

Sebastian slipped a finger under his shirt's collar and loosen it a little. He was used to this half breaking-part and half murderous look of hers but it always distracted him making him uncomfortable. One thing he knew was despite of all the dangerous beasts out there, never, ever underestimate an angry and distressed human, they could turn out to be your worst nightmare.

'Madam…' Sebastian whispered. 'I…' he said a bit louder but the Madam cut him off.

'Why did you let it happen?' she shouted, hitting her fist on the desk and launching up her seat. 'You were supposed to guard this place. You were supposed to keep everyone safe. And yet there's a body lying out there just a few miles from here. How do you explain this? How could someone trespass these grounds without my permission. Have you forgotten what we are sheltering here? Have you?'

Sebastian shrunk in the background. The Madam bombarded him. Of course, he hadn't forgotten what they were sheltering here, but it wasn't his fault humans get perky and curious and think they can go after chasing ghosts without facing the consequences.

'Do we know who she was?' the Madam asked, a bit more relaxed while sitting down.

'A girl from the village.'

'Do we know how she got here?'

'No.'

The Madam pressed her lips to a thin hard line and hit her fist on the desk making the lamp rattle. 'Did she…had a family?'

'As my informers tell me…no she didn't have anyone. She was traveling the country and eventually settled there about two years ago.' Sebastian said taking a piece of paper out of his vest's pocket. 'She had no relationships in the village and apparently, the locals didn't want her. There were rumours she was a witch of some sort.'

'A witch?' the Madam frowned.

'Not a real one.' Thankfully, he thought. 'She was the kind of witch who seduced fat husbands who got tired of their wives and young teenage kids.'

The Madam hid a smile behind her hand. 'Any information of what might've killed her?'

'Unfortunately, none. Whatever it was it left no clues behind.' Sebastian cleared his throat and pulled his hands back, popping out his chest, chin high. 'The good news are that whatever it was it wasn't one of ours. The Ravens haven't seen anyone going out or coming in last night.'

The Madam took a deep breath. She was still unsatisfied and disappointed, but this was still good news. At least she didn't have to vanquish anyone of the employees.

'Keep a closer watch next time.' She said. 'And do not let it happen ever again.' She said slowly emphasizing each and every word. 'Also keep me informed. When you find, who did this, I want you to bring him to me alive. '

'As you wish Madam.' Sebastian made a deep bow.

The Madam waved a defying hand at him and he was out of there in an instant. He was angry, he was furious. He didn't like it when simple humans told him what to do. He already knew what to do. His eyes started glowing again, bloody red. His steps were heavy yet soundless like an elf. What he wanted was to capture the idiot who killed that girl and tear him apart with his bare hands. He was going to find him no matter what this wasn't over yet. And when he did…there was a hungry pet down in the basement waiting for him. Sebastian loved the idea of the culprit been torn to bits and pieces by his beloved pet. He would find a nice cosy dark corner and watch him suffer while having a cup of tea. He was going to make sure, everyone will know not to mess with the butler.


	6. Chapter 6: Enter Number 13

Sebastian stopped at the balcony of the staircase and watched the humans and the monsters crowding at the Hotel, with his arms back and chest popped out, he was the game master waiting for his puppets to play. The Hotel was his playground and nothing could spoil his childish little game. In all of the years of his existence he never foresaw such a marvellous thing. He was simply the darkness aching for the light and now he was in the heart of it all and he could control both.

Sebastian wore his best smile, fixed his tie and entered the lobby to greet the new arrivals, though his insides were torn apart by anger. He shook hands with everyone, bowed down to all the ladies and kissed their hands. He kept company to the guests waiting in line at the reception, telling them jokes, learning all the gossip and the rumours going around. He even put some nice fancy music on the gramophone and asked for a dance or two. Sebastian was nice, polite, charming and sympathetic and all the ladies loved him…even some of the men.

The Ghost Hotel was blooming again and it was as if nothing terrible had happened the night before. Nobody knew about the incident either way, nobody heard or saw anything and nobody spoke about it and that was good. Everyone was happy and smiling, waiting for this one in a life time chance to stay at the Hotel. Humans and creatures were all together living in harmony and Pease.

But for how long?

'Make sure you have everything, right?'

'Yes mom. I have everything.' Argo smiled to her mother while her friends waited outside the Ghost Hotel giggling and blinking at any handsome man they saw.

Argo's mother grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. 'If anything happens and I repeat if _anything_ happens call me. Not your grandfather, not your father but me. I'll take care…'

'Of everything! I know.' Argo rolled her eyes.

Her mother was impatient and scared. It was the first-time Argo left home to spend the holydays with her friends. School was out for spring break and while all the youngsters of her age charged at every summer resort they could find, Argo and her friends went to the infamous Ghost Hotel, a destination her grandfather told her about. One day he had found an old post card with the Hotel's picture on in and dropped the idea that Argo should visit at least once. He used to spend a lot of time there with his family, and his family before him, so it had become a tradition for every member of the family to travel north and stay at the Hotel even for a few days. Argo convinced her friends and instead of going south they went north.

'Don't worry mom I'll be fine!' Argo beamed at her and mother locked her tightly in her arms, squeezing her so hard Argo couldn't breathe.

Argo pushed her mom away, and run to the girls. Her mom waved a sad goodbye to her, with teary red eyes and got in the car driving away. She kept watching them from the review mirror, all the way to the gates as the Hotel disappeared behind the tree lines.

The girls took each other's hands, standing one next to the other. 'Let's go!' Argo said and they entered the Hotel.

On the tree tops Mavis was watching the four girls closely, while counting all the people going in and out the Hotel, memorizing all the exits, fire exits and possible escape ways, all the employees and the guests.

Mavis was supposed to watch out for Argo and interfere when necessary. The friends weren't on the list but she could do some exceptions if she had to. Thanks to Argos's father, Mavis had the task, rather, burden to play guardian to the girl. If Argos's father was smarter this wouldn't had happened. The girl could live a normal life, but not here, not in this world, not among humans to whom she was a grave danger. Worse of all was that Argo had no idea what she was. Mother and father did a good job hiding the truth from her; afraid the Order will find them and take Argo away. They didn't even think the Order had already set their eyes on this special child, who came about with the _natural way_ not the technical slash magical one. Another negative point was that the mother was human and warlocks weren't allowed to mate with humans or any other type of creature or being in the universe.

Warlocks stayed with the warlocks and only the Order could decide who will mate with who and when, even how. And warlocks didn't mate the natural way. Instead they had created a magical shell they called the Egg that worked like a womb. It was like an artificial insemination but with the usage of magic not science and technology. All warlocks were created via magic, their entire essence was based in magic. There wasn't a single cell in them that wasn't fused with magic. Warlocks were the equivalent to a god, but they weren't gods and the Order made sure all warlocks knew they weren't god like, but instead beings whose only purpose was to keep the balance and control the primordial magic leaking from the Void.

Argo was what they called a hybrid or a Half, as it was mostly known. A Half was what came between the union of a magical being and a human. Hybrids were the most dangerous creatures because they didn't know the usage of their power. They weren't born or raised with the knowledge of magic and could do a lot of damage in the balance of the universe if not controlled. Especially hybrids who could materialize their magic and use it as deadly weapon. The percentage of Halves who survived birth was minimum. Usually Halves didn't survive, and mostly because their mothers weren't able to conceal the magic within their human bodies or because, for example the vampiric side of the child downgraded the werewolf side and the child fed with the mother's blood leaving her dry and weak. As children, they lived up to what age, before the magic consumed them, quickening old age or making them sick and weary. Those who survived till adulthood had kinetic or health problems, even deformities, especially when the species belonged to the shapeshifting category, such as werewolves or Yokai.

Argo was one of the lucky ones who survived childbirth and grew up handsomely with no problems. But nobody could tell when those problems could appear and take effect on her. She could be as good as healthy but one wrong step, one emotional break down or a serious accident could trigger her warlock side and everything could explode around her. And warlocks had the habit of exploding. And if a warlock spontaneously combusted no one could tell the damage he or she could do, especially when it came to a Half.

All this might sound silly to someone but for the warlocks it wasn't. Imagine having three, not one, but three atomic bombs been dropped and exploding simultaneously. The result would be beyond distrustful, cities, even countries could disappear and even effect the entire globe. The warlocks had the same result. Their magic grew so strong in the ages that their bodies couldn't sustain it any longer; and when pressure piles up in a closed container it eventually pops. The warlocks were like that, containers to keep all the magic that was coming from the Void.

Argos's father made a big mistake, defying the Order and ignoring the rules. Nobody ignored the rules. If anyone ever did such a thing was put back in the Egg and kept frozen for all the years that will come. Or killed after taking all the necessary precautions.

This time was the right time for the Order to act accordingly, after monitoring Argo's family for the past seventeen years. Argos wasn't a threat but she had reached a dangerous age where things get complicated and it was always complicated with teenagers. Before everything takes the wrong turn, Mavis was to take the girl to the Order, lure the father out and put them both in the Egg for the rest of eternity.

Mavis jumped down from the trees and walked straight in to the Hotel. She passed thought the crowds gathering at the lobby, scanning the entire room for any threats and finding many, lots of them. This Hotel was rumoured to be a dead zone for all creatures, meaning nobody used their abilities to harm each other or the humans staying there. But how can such a Pease treaty last among such creatures, whose rivalry lasts for centuries and humans were at the bottom of the food chain? Mavis wondered when this time bomb, everyone was standing on, was going to explode. When the Hotel will finally show its true colours, and destroy what was build up until now.

'May I help you?' the young witch girl at the reception said smiling.

Mavis stare at her for a while. Warlocks and witches didn't do well with each other. She could still remember the time she was hunting witches and wizards, old mountain druids and foolish alchemists. They were a plague on warlock shoulders, people who didn't really know about magic, but instead got the knowledge by accident, by stealing Warlock secrets. Those fools had methods, they used spells, magical artefacts, potions, magic books even science to do their magic. Warlocks instead drew magic from the Yawning Void, the Ginunnga-gap, the canter of the universe, from where the worlds were created. That primordial source of power was feeding them for centuries and one day all warlocks returned to it.

'Mavis.' She said coldly, indifferent and stoic.

The witch had lost her smile and became nervous. She couldn't feel Mavis's spiritual powers, because Mavis had shut it down to 1%. Mavis felt almost human. No witch could detect she was a warlock, not until she blows a witch's head up and raise the alarm. But no, Mavis wasn't going to do that. She had only one mission and she was going to follow it by letter.

'Here you go. And please be sure to take your time and read the rules of the Hotel.' The woman gave Mavis a tiny pocket manual with the rules and her key to her room. It was the room right next to Argo and her three happy friends.

'Thank you.' Mavis said and went on her way.

'Your luggage will be up in a few minutes. Enjoy your stay!'

Mavis didn't even bother to thank her for that, because she had no luggage. The woman watched her go waiting for an answer, some gratitude for example but nothing. She cleared her throat and smiled to the next in line while Mavis went up the staircase. She stopped for a while, spotting Argo and watching her moves for a while. It seemed the girls had found something of interest. Waiting at the other end of the lobby, a group of brutally looking males who screamed 'bad news'. The girls were giggling and laughing, pointing who they liked the most as if they were in a fashion show picking up dresses. Argo was playing shy, no matter how much her friends pushed her to tell them who she liked, she kept out. She would eventually give in though, after all she was an almost normal girl in an almost normal world….

Argo felt someone watching her and looked up, there was a woman on the balcony with a tattooed face and wearing century old clothes. In fact, everyone was dressed strangely, as if they jumped out from a different time line. Argo was sure she had seen Marie Antoinette pass her by just a second ago. That woman on the balcony was watching her for some reason and she was cold, very, very cold and stoic with no single trace of emotion on her face. As if all her feelings were ripped out of her and tossed in the garbage.

She had a blue tattooed line across her face, starting from one ear to the other, drawn over the cheeks and the nose bridge. Her neck had blue tattooed reversed water drops one next to the other. The line in the middle was starting from the bottom of her lip, down her chin and neck. And she was full with piercings, on the brows, on the lips, the nose, the ears. Her head was shaved on the left side where the number thirteen was tattooed in black. And her clothes were old and dusty. She wore a long dark olive coat with a raised collar that made her seem like she had no neck, black torn sweater that had seen better days, black riding trousers, ankle high dusty boots and a leather brown belt tied in a knot.

'What are you looking at?' Tiffany shook Argo bringing her attention back to them.

'Nothing.' Argo murmured.

'Look at that guy over there. Isn't he cute?' The girls giggled but Argo's mind was still locked on that woman. 'Argo smile, he's looking at you!'

Argo glanced at the guy standing in the canter of the manly group. He was nice and charming, tall as a tower, with dirty blond hair and sunburned skin, his eyes had the colours of the ocean sometimes blue sometimes green. He was chewing on a toothpick he snatched from one of the tables. But he wasn't staring at Argo he was looking behind her, the butler lost among the crowd. The man grinned wickedly, a very bad idea had just flashed in his mind. His eyes moved and locked with Argo. He only gave her a look, enough for Argo to blush and then he simply turned away, moving his group at the reception desk.

'Come on let's get behind them.' Tiffany grabbed the girls and squeezed among the crowd, pushing a few bodies away and finding herself head first behind the group of misfits. She was so happy she couldn't control her excitement.

Tiffany was the type who couldn't leave a male cat unnoticed and she was always acting as if she had never seen a man before, just like some men do when they see a woman. Tiffany was a female Casanova, though she didn't bed anyone, she still preferred to wait for that special one. She mostly concentrated on flirting and dating.

Amber the second friend in line was the dreamer type, she was an artist and even dressed like one. She was Boho, likes flowery dresses that were very loos, baggy trousers, dirty old torn converse shoes, hats, glasses and so on. Regina, was the dark mysterious one, always wearing black and band T-shirts, that leather jacket and Dr. Martens never got off her not even during summer. She always carried her guitar with her where ever she went and right now she was very angst for it since it was supposedly taken to their room with the rest of their luggage.

As for Argo, she was the sporty one. There wasn't a martial art she didn't know, but the one she liked the most was Pankration, though she hated wrestling she always claimed that Pankration wasn't just wrestling it was a connection to her roots, because her mother was Greek and from Sparta.

Argo and Amber were childhood friends. Amber used to be bullied when she was young and Argo was carried by the bullying wave. Back in the day Argo was a cry-baby and very weak. She could barely throw a punch, she usually tripped over her own toes. They met with Regina one day, when things got ugly. Regina had seen the two girls been surrounded by a group of bullies and taken at the back of the school. She followed them and helped the girls escaped. Regina was badly hurt that day, but she managed through, going back to school the next day, all wounded, bruised and cut. Regina wasn't the type of person who'd leave someone alone when he needed help and she hated bullies.

The three girls drew close and became friends, ever since then nobody bothered them again. They met with Tiffany a few years back when she was crying behind the football field. Tiffany had troubles with her boyfriend who ended up beating her badly and sending her to the infirmary. Eventually Regina and Argo found the guy and send him too in the infirmary, next to Tiffany's bed with a broken arm and a broken tooth. The two girls got detention for a week but when they came back to school they had become the terror of their high school. Tiffany joined them and ever since then, Regina and Argo played bodyguards to Tiffany, taking her out of trouble.

The last time it happened, Regina broke her guitar on a guy's back. You never got Regina angry and most of all you never hurt her friends or family, she could turn to a ruthless wild animal ready to tear you apart. Regina was the most violent while Argo kept the balance. She learned to control her feeling through the martial arts and could keep calm and focus at times of trouble. Regina though was the opposite, she charged first and finished first. Even if she was bleeding or badly wounded she kept on coming back till the opponent was down on the ground for good.

Most of the time, Regina started the fights and Tiffany was the one getting in trouble. They always had to watch after her, always keeping her at close sight. Tiffany liked to flirt but didn't thought about the dangers. The bodyguards were always there to keep her safe. If it wasn't for them Tiffany could probably be dead by now.

The line finally moved, as Tiffany took her hand mirror out of her tiny pink bag and put some light pink lipstick on. She fixed her golden locks and checked her teeth. She smiled putting everything away and tried hard to attract someone's attention.

Amber started taking pictures of the place, with her big camera that looked more like a bazooka. Argo was still worried about that woman on the balcony and the reason she was staring at her. She tried to forget about it, after all there were a lot of strange people at the Hotel acting strangely. She tried to calm, relax her nerves and take deep breaths. But she couldn't ignore the fact she had a bad feeling creeping in her gut. There were too many people, too much energy gathering around her and making her shaky. Something wasn't right, this whole place wasn't right.


	7. Chapter 7: The Serpent

Sebastian went to the kitchens to see how breakfast was doing. The cooks were hiding under steams of boiling pots. They were chopping with great mastery, tossing the pans and flipping the vegies inside. Flatting the meat and preparing the sauces. The chef was barking orders telling them to hurry. Anel Lebastille was a houngan but always had a dream of becoming a chef and opening many restaurants down in Haiti. Unfortunately, some events had let him to abandon his dream and he eventually ended up in the Ghost Hotel as the chef.

Anel was a big masculine man with a heavy Haitian accent. He was a good cook, inspired mostly by France cuisine but he could practically cook everything with great success. He was one of the best cooks they had in years not to say the best cook in the world. Anel though hadn't abandoned his first practice. He was still the one in change of the Ritual, they made once every full moon. It was usually a task for the witches but since the witches, had other things in mind right now, the task fell on Anel.

The Ritual was something that happened in all the years the Hotel had been opened. It was to honour the ghosts and the creatures living in the Hotel; to sign the Pease between kinds and for everyone to show their respects for those who worked there and treated them daily. It was like a yearly employees' party, though it happened every month and most of the guests had no idea what was about. Still it was the Hotel's greatest event and everyone was looking forward to it each month. The Ritual was going to take place in about two weeks and Sebastian hoped there won't be any more unnecessary incidences to darken that pleasant hour.

'Sir…' one of the waiters came in the kitchen looking for Sebastian. 'We have a situation at the front desk.'

Sebastian took a deep breath and headed for the door. Before he got out, he popped up his chest and smiled as nicely as he could. He went out and walked back to the lobby, reaching the reception where a group of nasty looking men were waiting impatiently.

'I'm telling you we have booked rooms here for three nights.' one of them said. 'It should be somewhere in your records, please do check again.'

'I'm sorry we don't have your name in the records, Sir.'

'There must be a mistake. We have already payed for our stay. Isn't this the Ghost Hotel?'

'Yes, it is.'

'Then we should be on the list. Unless there's another Ghost Hotel around here.'

'There isn't sir, the Ghost Hotel is one of its kind.'

'Then…find-my-name!' he said irritated.

Sebastian went behind the desk to see what was going on. There was a young, very tall man there chewing a toothpick. His eyes had the colour of the ocean blue and green, his skin was sunburned and his cheeks red and freckled. His hair was short and wavy, sticking under a low top hat with a pealing brim. He wore fingerless gloves and leather brown braces; his shirt was creamy and as it seemed unwashed for days. His sleeves were rolled up and his arms were filled with tattoos of sea monsters and ship wrecks. He looked like a sailor even smelled like one, fish and salt water, but more like a gang member who escaped from the slams of 19th century London.

'May I be some help to you sir?' Sebastian said politely.

The young man was frustrated he hated explaining his situation twice and he was already running out of patience. His mates glared at Sebastian flashing their silver dentures and golden teeth. The witch-girl was worried a fight might break and kept giving quick glances at Sebastian trying to guess who was going to make the first move.

'We booked rooms at this fancy Hotel and the lady over there cannot find our reservation.'

'I'll check then.' Sebastian opened the book on the desk and let the girl go to check on the other guests. 'Name please.'

'Gandr.'

Sebastian flipped the pages searching for the man's name. 'When did you called?'

'About a week ago.'

Sebastian searched the dates then the names. 'I'm sorry but it seems there must've been a mistake and we haven't filed your reservation.'

The young man grinned angrily. 'We have already payed for three, triple bed rooms.'

Sebastian checked the receipts, stuck on a needle at the desk. Yet he couldn't find a receipt with Gandr's name on it. 'I'm sorry.' He said again.

'You first take our money and now you can't our reservation? What kind of Hotel do you run here?' Gandr said angrily.

'I assure you our Hotel is one of the best in the world. Are you sure you boked with us?'

Sebastian's last words got the gang angry.

They growled and pinned themselves on the desk, producing their fists dressed with brass knuckles. They were ready for a fight and they weren't kidding.

'Check again…' the young man said spitting venom. His eyes started to glow, raging waves full with sea foam had swollen his irises. He was a beast of the wind ocean and he wasn't to be taken lightly.

'Do you by chance have the receipt we send you?'

Gandr raised his hand back and waited for one of his mates to put the receipt in his palm and give it to Sebastian. Sebastian examined it, there was unfortunately no mistake in it. They had paid for the rooms just as the man said but when he looked at the signature of the one who wrote the receipt he could guess now why the reservation wasn't filed in. Sebastian smiled even though he was burning with rage.

'I'm sorry dear sir. If you'd like we can guarantee your money back or book a room for you today. Unfortunately, we only have one triple bed room left but we can give you the double suits.'

Gandr took a deep breath leaned on the desk and said staring in to Sebastian's eyes 'Check again.'

Sebastian didn't know why he was so persistent. Why was so important they had those specific rooms. 'Mister Gandr!' Sebastian smiled and checked again.

One of the gang members went up to Gandr and whispered something in his ear. By Gandr's reaction it wasn't pleasant. He turned to Sebastian and said. 'Look for…Jormugandr.' He whispered and suddenly the Hotel went quiet and still as if time had stopped

Sebastian froze at his spot. He slowly looked up at the young man standing in front of him. The man smiled tilting his head on the side like a curious cat. Sebastian simply stared, breathless as if time had stopped and everything became idle. The other men standing behind Gandr looked monstrous. All of them sea creatures who came out of the most darkest depths of the ocean. This meant trouble for the Hotel. They could take on the vampires, the werewolves and hellhounds. They could deal with the witches and the wizards, the sneaky elves and the fairy. But they couldn't deal with the sea monsters. They were too big, too strong and little less vulnerable. They could devour everyone at the Hotel even the very Hotel its self. This wasn't good, it was unexpected and very dangerous to have these beasts here but it would be more dangerous if they refused to let them stay.

'Yes of course.' Sebastian said clearing his throat. 'We do have a reservation over a mister Jormugandr.' He lied. He couldn't believe the witch girl made a mistake in not filing their reservation. 'Please wait for a second while we prepare your rooms.'

'Thank you!' Jormugandr said they all withdrew from the desk to let others pass.

Tiffany and the girls squeezed in as Sebastian grabbed the witch's arm angrily and told her to make sure three, tribble bed rooms were prepared in half an hour. The girl terrified nodded and went on her way. Sebastian put his best smile again and tried to look calm. Nobody knew what could happen with these monsters here, especially now while there's a murderer on the loose. Then again, they could find him and eat him before he murders again.

Sebastian relaxed. That was a brilliant idea. He wouldn't have to deal with _it_ in person, those creatures could. He was sure the world serpent could handle a murderer or two, or an entire bunch of criminals. Let the monsters deal with the monsters, why not?

Sebastian grinned wickedly to himself without realizing somebody was watching him. When he did it was already too late. It was one of Gandr's mates, his face was scarred and he wore the saddest and painful expression. When he saw, that Sebastian noticed him, he turned away discreetly and joined his group. He sat down on one of the sofas while the sea monsters laughed and smiled with their success. He was a very strange man.

Sebastian fixed his vest and cleared his throat. He went upstairs to organize the preparations of the rooms. He wanted them ready as soon as possible and he didn't care if he had to change some other reservations for the sea monsters. He was going to welcome them properly and also use them for his own gain also it's been a long time since he last saw little Yorgi. Jormugandr was supposed to be dead. But as the snake he was he must've played dead and crawled away from the battlefield once the war was over. Sebastian smiled to himself and his eyes shined red. It definitely was an unpleasant surprise that could turn out to be the best so far.


	8. Chapter 8: Quickening the Dead

Sebastian was sitting on his favourite red armchair, drinking his favourite red wine and watching the twilight through the window. It was nice and quiet and nothing could spoil this moment. Sebastian found the time to relax, he still had hours before midnight and his rounds. He only hopped nothing weird happened tonight. Even if the Ravens told him, that the girl they found last night, wasn't going to be a problem, Sebastian still worried, he couldn't get the thought out of the corner of his mind that he was missing something important. Why was that woman out in the woods in the middle of the night? Was she with a lover, was she running away, was she lured there by whatever monster killed her?

Sebastian rubbed his head and drunk his wine, filing up the glass again. The sky was constantly changing colours, blue to orange, to pink to black. Soon the darkness will fall and the ghosts will wake up, the shadows will dance in the hallways of the Ghost Hotel and all the Children of the Night will come out to play. But for Sebastian, the darkness didn't only bring trouble it also brought memories, long lost painful memories.

'Are you serious?' the door crashed opened and Scarlet charged in furious. 'You actually let them stay?' she locked the door behind her and walked up to him with big steps.

Scarlet was obviously blood-drained and as it seemed she wasn't eating enough. Sebastian went in a lot of trouble making deals with the local hospital to have access to their blood banks, just so that Scarlet was fed and not feasting on the guests. He had to step over a few bodies and put his trickery at work, yet Scarlet was on a diet for some reason. Honestly Sebastian never understood women and he never will.

'How was it really? Did he just introduced himself to you and you let him in with open arms?' she stood there in front of him, arms crossed and tapping her foot on the carpet. 'Hi, my name is Jormugandr and these are my friends the Kraken and the Giant Squid.' She said with a heavy voice. 'Are you out of your mind?'

'Please.' Sebastian begged. 'Not now.'

'If not now, then when?' Scarlet wasn't going to give up until she got an explanation.

Sebastian was too tired, too weary to think on why he let a big ass serpent stay at the Hotel even though the answer was obvious: if he didn't, that shape shifting snake could devour the entire Hotel with them in it. Sebastian couldn't take the risk and wasn't in the mood of becoming Jormugandr's lunch. He didn't want the serpent to get angry, he had already seen it angry and it wasn't pleasant. It was a surprise though, how little Yorgi grew up and how on earth he managed to build a human form for him. Last time Sebastian saw him, Yorgi was slithering on the dirt growing bigger and bigger by the day, until they tossed him in the ocean because he was too big to fit in his mother's home. Now that he thought about it, it was a mistake letting those kids live. Especially Jormugandr and Hel. Fenrir was fluffy, Sebastian liked fluffy things. He found Fenrir cute.

'You know it got me thinking, what if the one who killed that girl was that snake.' Scarlet said.

Sebastian crooked his mouth irritated and gave her an annoyed look. 'He didn't kill her.'

'How are you so sure about it?'

'Have you ever seen a snake kill someone?'

Scarlet frowned. 'No.'

'Well, a snake swallows its prey. It doesn't tear it apart, it doesn't leave bits and pieces behind.' Sebastian got up stretching his back. 'Also, snakes have no claws.' He grinned.

'Alright. Let's say it wasn't him.' She relaxed a little. 'Then who was it?'

'Personally, I don't care.' He lied. 'Just as long as it won't happen again.'

He went over to the little fridge he had under the desk. He opened it and grabbed a blood bag. With a twist, it torn it open and filled one of the empty glasses sitting on the silver tray. He gave the blood to Scarlet, whose eyes turned big and thirsty once the blood bag was opened and the smell of blood filled the room. Scarlet took the glass and drunk clumsily. A string of blood run down the corner of her mouth staining her pale face.

'I have an idea.' Sebastian glanced over his shoulder grinning, his eyes glowing red. 'Why don't you take the night's watch?'

Scarlet smirked nervously. 'Are you serious?'

'Yes, of course. After all we need a hunter to catch the beast.'

'I stopped been a hunter long time ago.' She said putting the glass on the tray.

'Red dress?'

Scarlet stayed quiet. She remembered red-dress, that lovely girl who died such a long time ago only to be resurrected a century after by a mad man. It seemed to her that red-dress's fate was to die over and over again. And with her died all the colours of the world and the world had never before been so dark and cold.

'I think Miss Van Hellsing…' Sebastian turned to her. 'That it is time you put those hunting skills of yours in work. If we don't want to have another incident, such as that from last night, you better take that heavy sword of yours and go out. What do you say?'

Scarlet gave it a thought. She touched her chin with her fingertip and after a second she said. 'No.'

'But you willed that sword so finely the other day.'

'It was because I thought we had intruders.'

'But we do have intruders. This intruder has killed an innocent woman right on our door step. If this isn't a good reason for the hunter to take up her job then what is?'

'I'll think about it.' She said drinking the last of the blood and hitting the glass on the tray. She showed her way out leaving Sebastian by himself again.

Sebastian checked his pocket watch it was almost nine yet the sun still refused to go down. Maybe because the sun knew what kind of creatures walked in the night and what kind of dangers they brought. Even the sun was afraid of the darkness.

At nightfall Sebastian went down to the basement. He always went there alone, nobody was allowed there except him. The basement was one of the restricted areas of the Hotel. He took the ring of keys from his office and went. The basement was under the kitchens, it used to be a cellar where they kept wine, back in the day when Lapis Lazuli I had vine yards around the Hotel. Now days they bought their wine from France and the vine yard had become just another attraction for visitors.

Sebastian opened the iron door and walked down a series of steps. The basement was deep and at the end of the stairs there was another iron bar door. He turned the key and the door crackle as he pulled it open. There was a second door there. Sebastian unlocked it and opened it. He took a deep breath as a horrible foul stench came out, of mould, humidity and backwater. Sebastian walked inside closing both doors behind him.

The basement was dark, the walls were dripping, wet and the dirt was melting down making puddles of mud on the floor. Sebastian carefully tried to avoid the puddles, but mud was everywhere along with droppings and urine which didn't make things any better. A breathy growl sounded from the far corner and Sebastian stopped. There was a lamp somewhere up on the high ceiling and a switch on one of the walls. Sebastian made a few steps on the right, touching the wall with his fingertips trying to find the switch. When the light turned on it didn't do much. The light was minimum, the lamp old and blurry, it also flickered. Sebastian made a note to change it. When the flickering stopped the light was still unsatisfying.

Another breathy growl sounded and the darkness in the corner shifted. Sebastian stared at it waiting for some kind of reaction. Apparently, his little pet was sleeping. It had nothing to do after all. Sebastian changed the bucket of water once a day and always made sure it was fed. Preferably with dry food. No meat for the little monster. The shadow shifted again, it got up made a few circles then stopped. Its ears popped up and sniffed. Slowly the shadow started moving, one paw after the other. It closed its eyes as it went under the light. Sebastian extended his arm and let the wolf sniff him. Its nose was wet and its whiskers tickled him. The wolf licked his hand and Sebastian slowly touched the bridge of its nose, scratching him and petting him. The wolf made a step closer and rest its head on Sebastian's shoulder.

The wolf was a big, ten times, maybe more, bigger than an ordinary wold. Its fur was long and fluffy, light grey with white highlights. Even if it was living in a dirty place filled with mud the wolf was clean. Sebastian cared for him a lot. He was after all his favourite pet and it was no different than a dog. A gigantic dog. The eyes though were golden, glittering golden that sparkled in the darkness.

Sebastian hugged the wolf while whispering in its ear to calm it and hid his face in the wolf's fur. He smelled nicely thankfully. Like peaches. The wolf slowly laid down and Sebastian kneeled next to him. The wolf leaned on Sebastian's lap and Sebastian gave it a small treat. Sebastian caressed his head until the wolf fell asleep.

Mavis went out before midnight. She didn't want to be caught outside and tossed out of the Hotel by breaking the rules. She had a bad feeling all day long, ever since she stepped a foot in the Hotel. It wasn't the witches disguised as maids, or the vampires and trolls disguised as servants. Though she had no idea who the trolls managed to be so clean and look normal. It was something else that worried her. Something that was out there and she could feel it intensively during the night. She could feel it everywhere, an increasing energy masking the signature of…something.

Sometimes wielders of magic, used a self-made barrier around themselves to hide their signatures so that other magic users won't sense them or see their colours. Signatures always came with colours and depending on what kind of magic user a person was the colours could vary. Dark coloured signature meant malevolent magic users. Light coloured signatures were the opposite. Then there were black signatures meaning dark benders and white signatures that belonged to light benders. Those kinds of signatures were rare these days and only gods had them and the gods weren't around these days. They all withdrew in their castles on the skies and stayed out of people's lives as new religions were born.

This specific signature Mavis was sensing seemed familiar. As if she had sensed it before, somewhere a long time ago but she still couldn't tell what it was or who it was. It would've been better if she could see the colour, but the signature was well masked.

Mavis walked around the Hotel, in the gardens, the labyrinth, the gazebo she even went in to the woods reaching the river and the pond. There were still a few people out here, trying to make their way back to the Hotel and servants watching after them. The Hotel had a close security and even Gargoyles on the parapets. Mavis could see them move and shift whenever a guest was drifting too far, then one of the vampire servants went after them to bring them back. The gargoyles were sleepless watchers and very talkative if you knew how to treat them. But Mavis still couldn't get that bad feeling out of her. Something very dangerous was lurking in the forest tonight and it will soon come out to play.

Mavis couldn't interfere though, she couldn't let them now there was a warlock walking on the grounds of the Hotel. That will definitely raise the alarm. Everyone knew how dangerous a warlock was, though most people thought they had extinct a long time ago. The true was there was a small number of them, around seven all in all. Yet seven were enough to destroy the world. Some of them were old already and number Zero was the oldest. Their ranking tattooed on their heads had nothing to do with how many the warlocks were. It was just a rank and among the seven warlocks left there was Number Twenty and Number Twenty-seven even.

For now, Mavis had to stay low, raise no suspicions. All she had to do was watch after Argo. When her vacation ended Argo will return to the Order along with her father. Mavis turned back and went in to the Hotel. She might keep away from trouble but that didn't mean she won't keep an eye on this energy coming their way.

The next morning Sebastian woke up by the banging on his door. He slowly slipped out of bed, taking his time to wake up. He got up, put his slippers on and dragged himself to the door. He unlocked and almost got hit in the face by one of the twins. Lycastus barely managed to stop his fist just a few inches away from Sebastian's sleepy face, as the butler made a big glorious yawn.

'Sorry for waking you up.'

Sebastian smiled, eyes half opened, half closed. Lycastus didn't know if Sebastian was still sleeping or awake.

'We have a situation you need to attend.'

'What kind of situation?' Sebastian asked.

'The kind you won't like.'

It only took ten minutes for Sebastian to get dressed and comb his hair in to shape. He followed Lycastus down the stairs were the other twin waited. All together went out in the gloomy morning. It was still misty and chilli outside. Sebastian looked at his watch it was still six o'clock. He usually was up till eight when the Hotel started working. All the guests were still rolling in their comfortable beds, all warm and cosy and not wanting the morning sun to wake them up. And here he was running in the cold like an idiot while he too could be still sleeping.

The twins weren't in their normal hyper attitude this morning. They were scared, worried and confused. They walked with big steps, almost running and Sebastian was tripping over his own feet still trying to wake up. As they were getting closer to the stables and Sebastian's senses were slowly awakened, he started smelling blood. His blue eyes got wide opened and he run. He run passed the twin who went after him. He took a few turns and finally reached the stables.

Scarlet was already there waiting, dressed in her maids uniform along with a frightened witch. The witch was sitting under a tree crying and muttering some kind of a spell, swaying back and forth and holding the little charm that hanged around her neck. She was in a state of shock and Sebastian could feel the witch's energy surrounding her. Even the animals in the barn were shaken, mewling and hitting their hooves on the dirt. Something had startled them.

'It happened again.' Scarlet said as Sebastian walked around the barn's door.

On the wooden wall a body was pinned, like a broken puppet with cut strings, left to rot. He was male, completely naked with his innards hanging out half torn, half eaten. The wall around him was filled with claw marks and blood splatter. On the ground laid whatever was left of his torn clothes. The blood was raining down painting the green grass.

'Take him down.' Sebastian said.

The twins looked at each other frightened. It took a lot to scare the sons of Ares but they were. They never saw such a thing before in all the years they lived, this brutality didn't even happen in battles.

'I said take him down and clean this place before anyone else wakes up.' Sebastian barked and the twins went to work, unpinning the body and leaving it to drop on the ground like something broken. They took a sailcloth from the stable, which they used to cover the windows during winter, and wrapped the body as tightly as they could so the blood won't drip as they took him to Jack's lab.

Scarlet just stood there watching Sebastian staring at the wall as if that man was still up there. She felt guilty that she didn't take last night's watch. She felt like this was her fault. If she did what Sebastian asked her to do this might've never happened. But she was selfish, selfish enough to ignore her part in this and act in her own foolish way. Sebastian knew something might happen, she should've just listened and do her job, just like she did so many other times. It was too late now. Another innocent human was gone and the burden had fallen on her shoulders.

'Who found him? Did anyone else saw anything?'

'No.' Scarlet said with a shaking voice. 'She…found him half an hour ago. She was the only one here.' Scarlet felt the urge to say something, to apologize at least. But she knew if she even so dared to mutter another world to him, Sebastian will be even more angry and she hated the thought of him hearing him say: _I told you so_. She was supposed to protect this place, yet she didn't and it was on her, everything was on her.

'Clean up. I want Jack to examine the body as soon as possible and dispose it as soon as possible.'

'Aye.' She said quietly.

Sebastian glanced at her. His face was a mask of anger. She had never seen him so angry before. His eyes were glowing, shifting from blue to bloody red. The red was like liquid lava circling around his irises. It was fire. Ancient fire that burned eternally. She looked away, couldn't stare at him any longer. She took the witch and went back inside the Hotel to wake up the maids and clean up the barn's wall.

Sebastian was the only one who stayed behind, keeping watch for any unnecessary guests. He carefully walked around the blood on the ground, searching for tracks even hair that could tell him something. But the only footprints on the grass and dirt were their own. What kind of creature kills a person and leaves no footprints? It couldn't just fly all the way down here.

 _This was a challenge_ , Sebastian thought, _this was war_.

The girl was found just a few miles away from the Hotel, it could be that the culprit would've dumped her at their doorsteps but Sebastian and Scarlet stopped him. This time, he made it. He put the body in plain sight where anyone could see it. But why, what was he trying to prove?

 _A vendetta against me_ , he thought. Though those who hated him weren't capable of such things. _A vendetta against the Lazuli family_. Maybe, though they had no differences with any other great family and the Lazuli were completely isolated from the rest of the world. They only interacted with people rarely and only if necessary. So, what could be doing this and for what purpose. If it wasn't to hit Sebastian or the Lazuli, who was he trying to lure out.

Sebastian turned to the Hotel, frozen in the mists like a sleeping giant, with its three old and crocked towers was raising up towards the sky in plead for mercy.

There were so many people in there, so many different creatures. It could be anyone. It could be…


	9. Chapter 9: Questions

In Jack's lab Sebastian was waiting for the doctor's conclusion. All the others went to clean the barn and toss sand and water over the blood to wash it off. The carpenters were already working on the wall. It had to be taken down at least.

It was almost eight and Jack was taking a lot of time. The Hotel was slowly waking up and there will be chaos in the hallways. People will storm out of their rooms, go for breakfast and then walks, play games, go riding, swim in the river and take long breaks in the gardens. Work had to be done but first Jack had to finish and then dispose the body. But as it seemed it had to wait till night time. They couldn't just burn it in day light which meant the dead man will keep Jack company till tonight.

'I see the same patterns.' Jack finally said while taking off his glasses. 'This time it was careless. It was in a hurry.' He sat down, his back aching from crouching for the past two hours.

In a hurry because it thought someone will catch him just like the other night, Sebastian thought. 'What else?' he asked.

'Nothing.' Jack said. 'There's no evidence of what could've done this except that it could be a wild animal.'

'Wild animals don't pin people on walls.'

'Then it was a smart animal.' Jack rolled his eyes leaning on his desk. 'Honestly I have no idea what this could be. I mean I've done monstrosities in my life time but this is just….' Jack sighed holding his head. 'I don't know. I'm speechless.'

'Which it's strange because you never are.'

'Well here's something you didn't know about me.' Jack got up and filled two cups with brandy. They drunk taking a break to clear their minds from overthinking.

Jack peeked at Sebastian with the corner of his eyes, examine him from tip to toe, trapping every detail of Sebastian's persona in his mind. Wondering what else might be hiding underneath it. How many masks Sebastian had in his closet. It always strikes him as strange that the Madam kept Sebastian's identity a secret. Everyone who worked here knew each other's background. Why Sebastian, why the secrecy? Jack didn't like when people around him held secrets. It made him curious and suspicious.

Maybe Sebastian turned to the monster who killed those people. It was a possibility. Who else would be foolish enough to do such a thing at the Hotel. Only Sebastian had the freedom to wonder off at night, only he could enter the restricted areas of the Hotel. Only he had the keys to every locked and sealed door. Only Sebastian knew the secret passageways. It wouldn't be hard for him to kill someone, he did it before. Sebastian was also a shapeshifter, of what Jack knew.

'What?' Sebastian startled him. 'What is it? You thought of something?'

'No.' Jack said leaning on his desk.

Sebastian frowned. He didn't like the way Jack was staring at him. It was as if, Jack was trying to rip the skin Sebastian wore to see what was underneath it.

'The body stays here.' Sebastian said walking towards the door. 'I'll send the twins to get it at nightfall.' He closed the door behind him leaving Jack trying to see through the door but he had no such supernatural powers.

Jack sighed. Drunk the brandy with one sip and decided to toss the cup aside and drink from the bottle. After all there weren't any guests coming any time soon and he always could get the maid to bring him more.

He pulled a chair and sat down after covering the body. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking the hour and thinking he had a long day ahead of him. Plus his bed was occupied and there was no chance for him to sleep any time soon. It was a good thing the smell of blood didn't irritated him. He tried to think of something to keep him entertained till tonight. Since he couldn't get out of the tower he had to do something interesting at least. Stitch that poor man maybe.

 _Yes why not!_ He thought. He got up, put some classical music in the gramophone, got his kit and started sewing while whistling to himself. At the window, Sebastian's trusties had landed, hitting their beaks on the glass making themselves known. Jack frowned angrily, he couldn't believe Sebastian send those birds to watch after him. It wasn't like he was going to steal a dead body. That was Victor's work not his. Jack tried to ignore them and went back to work. This day was definitely going to be a very, very long day.

Argo couldn't believe she had become a stalker. Stalking that tattooed woman since morning, when she saw her on breakfast in the dining hall. She even noted what the woman was eating, plums and grapes. Most possibly she was vegetarian and not a man-eating monster. Then Argo followed her as she strolled in the gardens for hours. Argo almost lost her in the labyrinth but eventually found her and made it in the centre finding that woman sitting on one of the white marble benches staring at Lorelai's statue and eating her plums. She didn't toss the pips on the ground, she rather put them in that small pouch which held her food and hanged on her belt.

Argo took a few deep breaths, relaxing. She thought she was a goner, she got lost several times in the labyrinth, it was a miracle she made it through. She tip-toed towards the woman, minding her own business. It was an accident she found herself here after all she was a tourist. The woman didn't give her any attention. Her eyes were locked on that bloody statue as if there was nothing else more important in this world but that.

Argo didn't have the nerve to talk to her but she had to or else her mind won't rest. She needed to know why was she watching her so persisted. Argo kept thinking about it the entire night. Something made her drawn to her. That woman had the same vibes as her father for some reason. And those tattoos…her father had similar blue tattoos on his face. He used to tell her the tattoos were a tradition of his people, like the Maori, so they could recognize each other at any time. And that the older you got the more the tattoos you had. Some made a new tattoo every year, others every couple of years. But it wasn't just the blue tattoos.

It was also the number. Her father had a number tattooed on the side of his head as well. Though it was hidden under his hair, Argo remembered she had seen it once. It was the number eighteen. She always thought he did it when he was eighteen to mark the start of his adulthood. He never asked him though, and dad never talked about it. The strange part was the numbers were always black. It was in contrast with the blue tattoos on their faces. She never thought about it, not until now, not since she saw this woman. Argo was sure, the woman was one of her father's people. Maybe this was the reason she felt so familiar with her, because she never met anyone of them. Father always said to stay away from them, but Argo was ready to defy her father's words and talk to this woman.

'Hi.' She said shyly. 'Nice day today.'

Mavis ignored her. It was easy.

'It's my first time here. You?'

Mavis kept ignoring her and Argo started feeling like she was bothering her.

'It looks nice, doesn't it? I'm really looking forward for the Ritual. Grandfather said it's the best thing that ever happens in the Hotel.'

Mavis was utterly silent and indifferent.

'May I?' Argo didn't wait for a response she just sat next to her as Mavis slide a little to make room. 'You know this…this...' Argo crouched, narrowing her eyes trying to read the plate under the statue. 'Lorelai?'

Mavis sighed it seemed she couldn't avoid her. 'Yes.' She said coldly.

'Really?' Argo got excited. Mavis had finally spoken. 'I'm Argo, by the way.'

'Mavis.'

Argo smiled satisfied, things were improving, though everything turned silent between them very soon. They both sat there quiet. Mavis finished her lunch and hanged her pouch over her belt. She wiped her hands and mouth with a handkerchief, carefully folding it and putting it back in her pocket. Then she took the manual the witch girl at the reception gave her and started reading it.

Argo felt like she was disturbing her, that Mavis was probably thinking she was irritating or immature. Little Mavis knew that Argo rarely talked to strangers. She wasn't like Tiffany who could bother anyone just as long as they gave her all their attention.

'Where are you from?' Argo asked.

'Not from around.' Mavis said.

Argo felt uncomfortable. She cleared her throat and said. 'Those…tattoos, they are cool. Where did you get them?'

'Not from here.' Mavis responded in the same way.

'Do they mean something?'

'Yes.'

'Really?' Argo smiled excited. 'What?'

Mavis glare at her and Argo's excitement went down the drain. 'They are restriction bindings.' Mavis answered.

Argo stared blandly she had no idea what Mavis was talking about. For her they were just tattoos, some get heart tattoos others fat blue lines on their face. It wasn't bad wanting to look like Marilyn Manson in his hype days. 'Cool!' she said and left the subject there.

The man from yesterday showed up. The one who looked like a sailor. He charged in the labyrinth and walking with big steps towards Lorelai's statue with the butler chasing after him. Gandr was angry but the butler was even angrier. They stopped in the shadow beside Lorelai and started talking. Sebastian was gesturing with his hands while Gandr simply stared at him, grinning.

'I wonder what happened.' Argo whispered to Mavis.

Mavis took a quick look then continued reading, while Argo kept watching those two arguing intensively about something. Sebastian kept hiding behind Lorelai and Gandr kept moving back putting some distance between them.

'Listen I won't have a bunch of see monsters making rampage at the Hotel.' Sebastian said as quietly as possible, though they were already attracting some unwanted attention. 'If I find out that one of your mates killed that man I'll tear him apart myself.'

'I told you already.' Gandr said smiling nervously. 'We didn't do anything. We went in to our rooms and slept the night off. Nobody went out.'

'I hope you are right because this is very serious.' Sebastian growled. 'It all started the night before you showed up...'

'Listen we don't have any differences with anyone.' Gandr cut him off.

Sebastian shift his weight and crossed his arms. 'Really? Because I can count a few who you might say hate you.'

'They are all gone.' Gandr said.

'I don't think so.'

Gandr's smile faded. He took the toothpick out of his mouth and stared in Sebastian's eyes. When he saw him the other day, lost in the crowds of people at the lobby, Gandr barely recognized him. Sebastian knew how to wear his disguises very well, he was a master and he almost got him fooled for a second, thinking that Sebastian wasn't the person he thought he was. But he was there alright. He was still boiling under his skin, still aching for freedom after all those years. It seemed that Sebastian never got out from that cave he was once chained. He was still there trying to break free. Gandr was foolish thinking on coming here just to see him, hoping that something might've changed in the course of time. Nothing changed. Everything was still the same. Sebastian still hated him, he still didn't trust him, he still looked the other way when he was around, he still saw the monster in him. No, it was stupid to think he changed. A person like Sebastian never changes.

The scar on Gandr's forehead started aching. It still hurt and gave him bad migraines. After all it was Thor's hammer that stroke him not a stick. Those who fell under Mjolnir never got back up again. It took ages for the wound to finally heal. But the big nasty scar was still there, where the hammer stroke him, where the thunder sent a shock wave through his entire body. This scar though, hurt less than the scars a _special someone_ gave him. Those scars are the ones that never heal. Wounds eventually heal but the wound one intrigues on the soul always bleed.

'You always had such little faith in me.' Gandr said, his voice low and calm.

'I have little faith in you because I know what you are.'

'Do you now?' Gandr took a step close to him. 'Do you really know who I am? Because the last time I checked you were never there.'

Sebastian frowned angrily. If it wasn't for the people in the garden he would've punched Jormugandr in the face.

'Don't worry. We won't disturb your pease and quiet.' Gandr put the tooth pick back in his mouth and walked off.

Sebastian angrily hit his fist on the statue and sulk. It didn't go well, it didn't go well at all. He only managed to upset him. Gandr was always emotionally unstable. There was a time he just couldn't control himself. Sebastian was afraid what Jormugandr could do if he got out of control. The only thing that could possibly stop him was Thor's hammer. But that was ancient history, no Thor and no hammer. There was only one final solution to deal with the serpent if he decides to riot. Only one…

Maybe it was a mistake putting too much thought in Scarlet's words. She was suspicious of the snake and Sebastian ended up blaming him. Though he should already know that sea monsters were most vulnerable on land. They couldn't even shift in to their forms and the river wasn't big, or wide or deep enough to hold them. Only Jormugandr had the privilege of both land and sea. But he couldn't be that stupid as to kill people and leave their bodies behind. He was a snake after all, a big nasty dragon like snake too big to fit anywhere.

Honestly, Sebastian thought, how the Hel Jormugandr managed to have a human form, how could he fit all that length in one body? He really thought that scales will start popping out of his skin. Sebastian smiled, Jormugandr wasn't a threat, whatever killed those people was the real thing and he had to find it before it killed again.

Argo saw Gandr coming her way and fixed her hair a little. She smiled as he passed but he didn't give her any attention. He walked right by her as if she wasn't even there. Argo sighed disappointed. It wasn't like she had high hopes. After all she wasn't a girl who took care of herself. She was too boyish, too masculine, too tall, too average.

'Better stay away from him.' Mavis said putting the manual in her pocket. 'Better stay away from everyone.' She got up and left just like that.

Argo jumped up and run behind her but Mavis was walking too fast as if she had wings on her feet. After a few turns, Argo lost her. Argo hit a twig sticking out of the bushy wall and dragged her feet towards, what she believed to be the exit.


	10. Chapter 10: The Magician

He was a good magician, one of the best world has ever seen. He's been everywhere and everyone knew his name. He spent years in Paris, Milan, Roma, Las Vega, he was the first name in all the billboards. He could still remember the flashy lights, the fancy costumes, the dangerous acts, the crowds.

The crowds…. calling out his name _"Grande Mage, Grande Mage, Grande Mage"_ like a choir.

Now all those lights, those voices, those crowds are all stuck in his head, in a show he can only imagine from now and on. In a show, he plays alone. He still wanted to make one last stand, one last show of his life time before everything faded away…

'Welcome to the Ghost Hotel!' the lovely lady behind the reception desk said with a nice big toothy smile. 'May I have your name please?'

'Mage…' he said quietly. 'Grande Mage.'

The girl kept smiling as if she was smiling forever. She checked in the reservation book, the big tome, with the hard leather cover that looked like an encyclopaedia. She run her finger down the list of names finding his and giving him the key to his room.

'Here you go Sir, we'll take your luggage.'

'No luggage.' He said raising the single brown suitcase he was carrying. 'Just this.'

'Very well Sir! I hope you enjoy your stay. Your room is on the left at the top floor.'

The magician took his key and stepped away from the line. He was short and he felt almost invisible. He was a sad clown, still wearing his clown's make up because he didn't want to accept the fact he was old, sick and forgotten. He stilled hopped for his comeback even after all these years. And he still wore those ridiculous clothes, in dark browns and greys, that used to be sizes bigger than him, but now he got not only old but fat and he barely fit in them. And that small hat upon his bald head, with the dried out dusty flower sticking out like a nail.

He took a long look around the lobby. The people waiting in line, the people going out for walks, wearing their fancy dresses and cosplay clothes. They were all so different and yet they perfectly matched with the gold-red colours of the hotel. In his eyes, the lobby had become a little tiny circus. With jogglers and jesters, clowns and wild beasts; beast masters, acrobats, dwarves and freaks. He felt a flatter in his heart, as if his heart had grown wings all of a sudden and was ready to fly away.

 _It was still alive_ ; his heart was still alive, he thought touching his chest.

He shook his head and started climbing the staircase. He wasn't going to use the elevator he was afraid of the man standing there with the red suit and tiny hat. He looked like one of the cashiers in circuses, who only cared about money. They all had pretty smiles but underneath it there was evil. And the man at the elevator looked not only deadly pale and cold but also very evil to the magician.

He went up the first floor, with the portraits of the descendants of the owners of the Hotel. He took his time to stroll in the hallway and observe each and every portrait hanging on the walls. They were all nice and pretty and some looked like kings and queens and the background behind them always depicted the Hotel in different eras. What astonished him the most was that the portraits moved. A beautiful young lady smiled at him and tilt her head on the side. A man touched the brim of his hat and saluted him. Another one bowed slightly, placing one hand over his chest. Another lady bowed delicately, some gave him a slight wave, a quick look a nice smile.

The magician stared at them with opened mouth and wide eyes for he had never seen such wonder before. He wondered what kind of magic this was, who could possibly do such tricks. He was sure these moving portraits weren't real. In a time where virtually reality was at its peak, where special effect make movies realistic, when the world was booming with technology never seen before, like spaceships, flying cars even talking robots, he thought that these paintings were just another one of technology's miracles. Yet he had to admit the moving portraits almost tricked him in making him believe they were real.

The magician smiled and tap his head to punish himself for been foolish. The woman in the portrait he was standing in front of giggled and he made a little magic trick with a disappearing coin just to show that real magic couldn't be out rated by technology and complicated machinery. The woman opened her mouth shocked when she saw the disappearing coin and clapped her hands smiling excitedly. The magician made a theatrical bow, taking his hat off and left.

He walked up the stairs to the second floor where a line of armours stood across the hallway left and right.

Once he got up someone said: 'Good day sir!' with a heavy voice and the magician heard one of the armours clank. He stopped at his tracks and looked behind him but no one was there.

 _More machinery_ , he thought and proceeded. Somebody coughed then excused himself. Some armours clank their feet to salute him and kept telling him to have a good day and welcoming him.

The magician was speechless. The voices were different every time and he found it amazing how much trouble they went to record so many voices to give each and every armour a different one jut to make them look haunted. The magician smiled. It was exciting. He had seen puppets talk, of course, but that was just another trick, when the puppeteer talked over the puppet without moving his mouth. He knew how to do it too, somebody taught him long time ago.

'Hello!' the magician said, without moving his lips and changing his voice to sound funny.

'Ow, hello to you too.' The General laughed. 'I didn't expect this one.'

'Beautiful day today!'

'Yes it's lovely and sunny outside.'

'See you around.' The magician said and walked off.

'See you too. Come and talk to us again!'

He reached the staircase and went up stopping midway to look outside the window and notice it was indeed sunny outside. He glanced behind his shoulder quickly and angst that maybe those voices weren't a recording after all. But then he thought about it better and came to the conclusion that someone could change the dialogue with a remote-control every day. Who knew how many recordings of conversations the Hotel's database had after all?

The magician sighed and smiled to himself again. It was nothing just the tricks of technology that was all.

After he settled down, rested for a while and took a little nap, he took his suitcase and went down to have a walk in the grand gardens of the Hotel, holding the flyer with all the locations he should visit. Firstly, he went to the labyrinth, got lost multiple times but eventually made it to the canter. He made a turnaround himself once he saw this marvel unfold around him. The walls were made of bushes with roses stuck on them that smelled exquisitely. The statues of Roman and Greek gods were so beautifully crafted and preserved as if there were real people covered in white dye. The details of the muscles, the hair, the faces were spell bounding. He could stand there and stare at them for hours if it wasn't the memorial of Lorelai sitting solemnly in the centre of the labyrinth like a lost treasure.

Lorelai was so lovely, and so sad and lonely. She looked as if she would come to life at any second and gift the world with her beautiful angelic smile. The magician felt so tiny and so lost. He had seen many things, he had been everywhere but he had never seen such beauty in his entire life. Lorelai stood frozen, hands over her chest holding a round pendant. Her hair was almost like silk not marble, falling gently over her milky shoulders. Her eyes were looking down eternally not daring to look up, not to see the horrors of the world.

A tear fell from the magician's eyes. He quickly wiped it with his sleeve and sniffed his nose. He was sad because she was sad, he was lonely because she was lonely, he was miserable because she was miserable.

 _"_ _Ich weiss nicht, was soll es bedeuten..._ _"_ many whispers raised up together all around him.

The trees moved as if dancing a macabre dance, the wind blew and the flowers cast their petals for the wind to take. The rose petal flew in circles landing at Lorelai's feet as the whispering voices kept singing her Lament.

 _"_ _Dass ich so traurig bin, ein Märchen aus uralten Zeiten, das kommt mir nicht aus dem Sinn. Die Luft ist kühl und es dunkelt, und ruhig fliesst der Rhein; der Gipfel des Berges funkelt, im Abendsonnenschein….*_ _"_

With a broken heart he left the labyrinth and searched for something nicer, something to forget Lorelai's tragic fate. He went to the white gazebo to observe the lovers and feed the swans in the lake next to it.

Then he went for a long walk in the woods, taking in all the wonderful aromas of flowers, pine and oak trees. He saw the Nymphs hiding there with their transparent light blue dresses and loose hair, waving in the wind as if they were underwater, covered with flowers and leaves. They giggled and blinked their eyes, calling him to follow them in to the trees they lived. Their voices were smooth like spring wind and cold water. They smelled like flowers and grass and their skin had a tone of green. They brushed their fingertips on his arms and tried to seduce him. They had surrounded him and refused to let him go. The Nymphs held hands and danced around him in circles, their dresses sticking to their bodies, sketching their curvy figures, their round hips, slim waist and full breasts.

The magician flashed entirely red and he couldn't refuse the Nymphs offer. One of them gave him her hand and the magician took it with no second thought. She slowly led him to the tree she lived in and as her body merged within the tree's trunk Sebastian run up to them, grabbing the magician's arm and pulling him back. The magician felt as if he had awoken from a dream. He shook his head and felt a slight headache. He didn't see the butler coming, he didn't even hear him. For a moment, he had lost the track of time and had no idea how he got so deep in the forest. The Nymphs with their seductiveness and lovely nightingale voices had spelled him to forget who he was and become their slave forever. Thankfully the gargoyles on the parapets of the Hotel had warned the vampires and they brought Sebastian who was the only one who could take care of the Nymphs and not make them angry. The Nymphs sadly withdrew inside their trees and the forest came back to life again and time restarted.

'I'm sorry for this.' Sebastian apologized. His eyes quickly shifting from bloody red to light green.

The magician rubbed his eyes thinking it was the sun playing tricks with his eyes. He had seen so many things today he got tired of giving explanations to all. Those girls must've been some kind of holograms, he thought, there was no other reason why they merged in the trees like ghosts. And the song playing in the labyrinth, that was from the radio, he was sure of it making it sound as if the trees were singing.

'Would you like something refreshing?' Sebastian snapped his fingers and a waiter was there in a flash carrying a silver tray with a fruity cocktail and a slice of orange hanging on the side. 'Here you go Sir. And again, I am terribly sorry for this inconvenience.'

The magician took Sebastian's cocktail offering and drunk a little. It was cold and yummy, very refreshing, it tasted like summer. He felt his inside waken and his eyes grew wide and sparkling. The Hotel had the best cocktails in town, not to say the best in the entire North and Sebastian was very proud of it.

'Please do enjoy your stay. Our servants are here for everything you need. All you have to do is call them and they'll be here in an instant.' Sebastian said and the waiter smiled flashing his pearly teeth with the unnaturally long fangs and with a silvery dead glow in his eyes.

 _Contact lenses,_ the magician thought.

Sebastian left along with the waiter and leaving the magician alone once again to enjoy his walk. He sat down on a wooden bench that looked more like a maze of tree roots, caught upon what used to be a bench and took its shape. He enjoyed his drink and let time pass for a while. The sun was burning and the sky was blue. A cool wind was blowing making the trees shades dance upon his face. The magician closed his eyes and relaxed a little. This must've been one of the best decisions he had made in his life.

When he rested for a while he left the empty cocktail glass on the bench and moved on. He followed the sound of the river and found a big pond with tiny waterfalls. There were more servants there, wearing their swimsuits with green fins on their arms and legs and green scales on some parts of their bodies, that looked almost real; watching after the children jumping and diving in the pond, as fishes flew over them.

He walked closer took his shoes off and dived his feet in the cold water. He felt a tingle and quickly got out of the water jumping back. A small girl emerged from water, with shoulder length blue hair, laughing and giggling. The Undine swam back to the other kids and she played with the rest of her kind and the humans. The magician calmed down, thankfully it wasn't a man-eating fish. He sat back at the bank of the pond and sunk his feet once more in the freezing water.

Everything was filled with children laughter, joy and happiness, as the Undine jumped up and down in the water with the flying fishes, the carps and the huge goldfish, playing and dancing and singing. Everything was so nice and glorious, he had never felt so calm in his life. As if there were no worries in the world no problems no troubles. He could forget here, he could forget it all and start anew. All these people here never felt the glory of the stage, the lights, the crowds. They lived simply, with simple lives spending their days just smiling and having fun.

Maybe this was his last act, to smile for once in his life and have fun. It made him wonder if he was ever happy with his life.

At afternoon, he went to the dining room for lunch. There were so many people in there he almost got lost. There was one lady dressed like Marie Antoinette, who's feet didn't touch the ground. She was hovering above it, moving in great speed. There was also a group of strange looking people who smelled fishy and could've been sailors. With cuts and scars all over their bodies and nasty looks on their faces.

The magician picked his launch from the buffet and sat at the only empty seat he could find, opposite a tattooed girl who was chewing on fruits. The girl glanced at him stoic and apathetic, he got amazed how indifferent she was even if he excused himself and asked if he may sit there, she didn't even answer. The girl just looked at him and continue on eating her plums and oranges. The magician tried not to stare. Those tattoos looked painful. He wanted to ask where she got them, how long she had them and if they hurt as much as they seemed. But he spoke no words, he swallowed his tongue and he couldn't say a thing.

He ate quietly, giving her quick shy glances and wondering how to open a conversation with her. On the table behind Mavis, was a strange looking man who didn't eat with a spoon, nor a fork. He simply kept opening his mouth and his tongue would launch, like a lizard, and grab whatever he pleased. The magician could swear he had seen him eat a fly, but he let it pass and gave his attention to someone else.

There was a woman sitting two rows away, on his left. She was dressed with a nice Charleston red dress and a black glittering strap on her wavy hair drinking something…red. Next to her a hairy man was eating sluggishly a raw stake, with blood dripping from it. The woman next to him didn't approve and she kept on hiding her nose and mouth with a white handkerchief.

There was also a grumpy bunch of dwarves kicking people's feet to let them pass, while holding their plates and drinks. They were dirty like miners and there were also seven of them, each one wearing a leather cap on his head. They found an empty table near the group of sailors and sat, giving the sailors angry looks asking every once and a while what they were looking at.

Little fireflies that were actually people with tinny feathers were swaying above their heads near the golden chandelier trying to flare the candles with matches that were too big for them. Two little fairies had to hold one match to light a candle while a third one was giving them directions where to fly and where to stop. Stardust kept falling from their wings as they flapped quickly. Some stardust fell on the magician's nose and he sneezed apologizing to Mavis.

Mechanical clockwork birds were flying around, made of wood and steal, taking people's orders and giving them to the waiters waiting behind the kitchen. And the waiters moved so fast the magician could barely see them. They were here and there and everywhere in a matter of seconds.

There was a woman dressed in a black witch's dress with a cone hat on her head, holding a wand and making small fireworks to entertain the guests. A man dressed in a white rabbit's suit, a scarf around his neck, a monocle over his left eye was checking his pocket watch constantly, with the crooked indicators spinning round and round never showing the hour. He was hopping up and down looking left and right muttering 'I'm running late. I'll never be there on time.' While on the back a private tea party was set, with cups piled one over the other in to a high tower. The man looking like the Mad Hatter was swinging on the foot of his chair drunkenly, almost falling down several times, waving to the rabbit to join him. The rabbit hopped to him and sat down as the Hatter pour tea.

The magician rubbed his eyes feeling dizzy and fuzzy. There were many things going on in the dining room and he couldn't consentrait on them all. His eyes hurt and his brain was overloaded. He couldn't make any more reasons on how this place worked. He forgotten when he run out of ideas and excuses, were reality stopped and where fantasy started. He thought he was imagining most of the things he was seeing, but they were all real, utterly real.

This place was filled with magic and he could feel the energy piling around him and hitting him like static electricity, making his limps tingle and mind explode from all the wonders he was seen. Yet he kept believing there was a reasonable explanation for it all. That man wasn't a real rabbit, the girl wasn't a real witch, the little lights on the ceiling weren't fairies. He kept refusing everything despite the fact he was a magician himself. He didn't believe things were magical, they were tricks mostly, more likely illusions and everything had its explanation.

The magician got up, leaving his half empty plate behind and went up to his room. This time he took the elevator with the evil looking man inside it. He opened the iron bar door and let the magician in, greeting him with a warm smile. He pulled the control handle closing the gate and the elevator moved up, creaking and shaking from time to time. The magician though many times he won't make it to the third floor, that the elevator will break and crash killing them both. His heart was beating fast and fear took over him. He wanted to get out and use the stairs for safety.

The man in the red suit felt his uneasiness and kept turning around smiling at him telling him 'We're almost there.'

When the elevator finally stopped with a large bang the magician quickly walked out breathing heavily. He tried to calm down before going in his room to sleep.

The hallway was empty and gloomy and with every step he took he felt like there was someone following behind him. He glanced over his shoulder a few times before opening the door to his room very quickly and charged inside to safety. He locked the door and took a few steps back. He heard footsteps right outside, walking on the carpet and stopping at his door. He waited for a while before looking out the small hole on the door, which he could barely reach. When a few minutes passed and nobody was knocking he went to the door with his heart drumming. He lifted himself on his toes and tried to look out from the small hole when suddenly something started scratching the door.

The magician jumped back in terror. It sounded like a wild animal and he tried to convince himself it was a racoon, they were in the middle of a forest after all. But raccoons don't wear boots.

After a while the scratching stopped. The magician sat on the bed staring at the door waiting whatever was out there to come back.

Half an hour passed and all was quiet. He took a deep breath and decided to be brave and went to the door. He took a quick look from the tiny hole and opened the door widely. There was nobody out there, no racoon no strange man nothing. He touched the back of the door and felt no scratches. The door was smooth and solid. The magician got worried, he was imagining things too frequently. He closed the door, locked it and fell on the bed. He tried to sleep and stop thinking about all the things he had seen tonight. Slowly he had fallen asleep.

He woke up with the tapping on his window followed by a wolf's howl. There were two black birds sitting there hitting their beaks on the glass. When they saw the magician sitting up they flew away in to the night.

The magician opened the window as the full moon was high illuminating the dark sky. It was chilly outside and he buttoned his coat, sat by the window and observing the night. All was quiet and calm. No whispers, no voices no scratching. There was only a faint music coming from the ballroom below. Nice classical dance music from a forgotten century and the voice of a soprano singing to the rhythm. Her voice was magical, like a siren's and it almost made him fall asleep again.

He remembered Lorelai's statue and felt the feeling he had to go there and see her one last time. He could see the labyrinth from his balcony but not the center of it. There was a mist rising there hovering above it.

He got up and went down the stairs and in to the night. He managed to remember the rote and got in the end of the maze in no time. The mist was thick and slowly falling down. It looked more like smoke from a smoke machine than an actual mist. He raised his arms up not to hit anything until he got to Lorelai. Once he reached her the mist magically, moved away making a small circle around her.

He slowly walked to her.

He felt like she was calling him. There was a mysterious voice in his head, telling him to get closer. His eyes turned dim and lost their shine. He was hypnotized by whatever was in his head pushing him to Lorelai's statue.

 _"Come…"_ she kept whispering. _"Come…"_

The magician dragged his feet towards her, tripping on the grass and almost falling. But this accident wasn't enough to wake him from the spell. Lorelai came to life, as white as snow. She reached out for him taking his hand. She kissed his cheek and touched her forehead on his. The magician smiled peacefully. Lorelai hugged him. He took one last step and he got lost inside her, his body emerged with her cloudy figure.

He had never felt such peace before. He felt almost like a child in his mother's arms. He was safe and he wasn't sick anymore. He was healed and there was no more of that horrible disease inside him. It was because of that decease he had to leave the stage, the lights, the fancy costumes, the dangerous acts, the incredible crowds. If it wasn't for that disease he would've still be traveling, Milan, Roma, Las Vegas, performing with the greatest magicians of the world. But he got sick and he had to stop. The chemotherapy didn't work and the disease was only spreading. They gave him only a few months left to live maybe even weeks nobody knew when his candle would've burned out.

Now he was fine. He wasn't sick, he could live many, many years more. He could go back and become once again that Grande Mage he used to be because Lorelai healed him and took the sickness away. It was magic. He finally had admitted it the Hotel was magical. Everything in its grounds even the people were magic.

All the faces he had seen passed through his mind quickly one after the other. The witches, the one at the reception and the other at the dining hall. The vampires: the waiters, the man at the elevator and the woman with the red Charleston dress. The werewolf eating his raw stake. The strange butler with the red eyes, the Nymphs, the Undine, the Vodnik at the pond watching after the children, the Fairy, the dwarves, the Hare, the Mad Hatter, the wizard with the blue tattoos, the Salamander, the flock of sea monsters, the specter of Marie Antoinette. The ghosts inside the talking armors and the portraits. The siren soprano in the ballroom, even the Dryads singing Lorelai's lament. It was all magic and he was a fool for not believing in magic, while he too was a magician.

Now he knew, that magic was everywhere all around him and if magic didn't exist this Hotel wouldn't be here. And magic healed him it really did.

The magician felt the cold wind in his face and he opened his eyes. Before he even breathed he fell from the balcony of the Hotel hanging himself. His body trembled, he tried to take the sheet off his neck but couldn't. His face turned red then blue and the air was cut off from his lungs. The white of his eyes turned red and a string of blood run down his nose from the pressure. His kicked his legs and struggled until his body started feeling numb and the air in his lungs left him. His heart beat slower and slower until it stopped. His body relaxed, his arms fell on his sides and he was gone…

A dark figure was standing inside the magician's room. Its eyes shined icy white and it seemed like the eyes were smiling wickedly. It went over the desk and leaned down, blowing the candle's light and turning the room darker.

* _"I know not whence it rises, this thought so full of woe: but a tale of the times departed, haunts me—and will not go. The air is cool, and it darkens, and calmly flows the Rhine; the mountain peaks are sparkling in the sunny evening-shine."_ ( _Die Lorelei_ , by Heinrich Heine)


	11. Chapter 11: The Darkness (Part 1)

_"_ _You must stay hidden."_ Mother used to say _. "You mustn't let them see you. They won't understand. They'll never understand. You are different. They don't like different. Sometimes different is good. But they…those…monsters they call themselves gods they don't accept someone who's different. Thy think_ they _only have the right to live. The world is for everyone and everyone has his purpose. Don't forget that Yorgi. You are special never let those idiots tell you different. You are my little Yorgi and I love you very much."_

Gandr walked out of the labyrinth, his friends waiting for him outside. They were always together because they could understand each other while no one else could. Gandr had gathered all of them a long time ago and made a family for himself, a family he never had. He didn't need his mother, he definitely didn't need his loser father and he didn't need his siblings; where ever they were, in whatever hole they were rotting in. He had his brethren and that was enough for him. They respected him and were loyal to him. They never criticized him, they never told him he was different or that he had to hide from everyone else. Instead they were willing to walk in this world with him, side by side forever. Sebastian could go and drown himself in shit if he wanted to. Gandr didn't need his approval and he diffidently didn't need him.

He spent many years all alone hiding underground away from everyone even his stupid siblings. As if Hel was better as if Fenrir wasn't monstrous. But his father always liked Fenrir because he reminded him of his two other sons. The ones Odin put to kill each other because father murdered Asgard's beloved son, Baldr. Odin made Loki watch, he made him see it all till the end, the two boys tearing each other apart in an arena made specially for them. He turned one of the twins in to wolves and made it hunt the other one. The wolf had torn the child apart and then Odin killed the beast. He didn't even care if those kids had nothing to do with Loki's deeds all he wanted was for Loki to feel how it was to lose a child and Odin choose the most horrible way to do it. Loki was devastated, and that's how the hatred started. It was the beginning of the end. Soon after that Loki turned against them, met the which they called Gulveig-Heidr, the mother of all sorcerers the mother of runs, and together they raised a great war against Asgard that eventually destroyed the golden citadel and brought an end to many worlds.

Of course, Jormugandr had to be there along with his brother. The Fenris wolf got badly injured but survived. He crawled somewhere and was never seen again. Jormugandr was tossed in the ocean thinking he was dead. It took his years to recover after meeting with Thor's trusty friend Mjolnir. Many time Jormugandr wished he was dead, so that his suffering would've ended. But in the depths of the ocean he found creatures just like him, damned and forgotten. They helped him and he helped them. They were together now, one big happy family of sea monsters. His brother didn't even search for him and Hel was happily enjoying herself in her dead world. As for his mother, well, she had better things to do. And Loki…he was dead and gone for him for good.

'Hey shall we tell you the news.' Ken said with a big smile on his scarred face. 'Our boy Maka has a date.'

Gandr gave him a sharp look. He didn't want to interfere with their lives but right now it wasn't the right time to be joyful. He kept on telling himself it was a mistake to come here, it was a mistake trying to talk to him. He should've known already what kind of man Sebastian was, he should've known he's rotten to the core. He didn't care for him, he didn't care for anyone but himself. Just as long as Sebastian was well the rest of the world could burn.

'Some other time.' Gandr said pushing him away.

'What's wrong? Ken asked worried.

'Nothing.' Gandr mumbled walking pass him.

Ken looked at the others standing behind him waiting for some kind of response. But everybody sulked not knowing what was going on and choose to leave him alone till he got over it.

'Let's all go have a drink then.' Ken recommended.

Gandr stopped. A drink sounded like a good idea. He could at least get himself drunk and forget about today's disastrous reunion. He glanced over his shoulder and simply nod. Ken, who was two head shorter than Gandr, pat him on the shoulder while waving to the others to come and led them all to the Hotel's bar.

The bar was small and cosy, the colours were in shades of silver and brown and it looked like a saloon. There were neon signs hanging behind the bar and on the sealing. There was even a small stage with a disco ball spinning above it and a pole, for special occasions. The bar was quiet, not so many people around. The sea monsters were filling it all by themselves. The music was playing low and it gave the place a relaxing atmosphere. Behind the bar a bald vampire was wiping glasses. His eyes had a silvery dead shine in them, cold and lonely. His face was filled with piercing, his nails were long, creamy white and his skin almost transparent. He was dressed in tight black leather and had a dog collar around his neck. He looked like a punk from the '70ies.

Gandr and the gang took a seat on one of the round tables in front of the bar to be closer to the liquor. Ken ordered ale for all and a few minutes later a waitress came with their drinks. The sea monsters could take their eyes off her plethoric charismas. Her red and white dress was tight and the skirt so short her cotton white panties showed whenever she bended over. She placed their drinks carefully on the table and hit them with a glorious smile. The sea monsters stared at her as she went back to the bar to bother someone else. The only one wo wasn't honoured by the waitress flirting was Gandr. The rest could practically drool for her all day.

Yet Gandr's gloominess didn't spoil the gangs hyper attitude. They talked and laughed and drink as if there was no tomorrow. They could easily pass for humans, just another average ugly looking group of middle-aged men.

Gandr told them nothing about his little conversation with Sebastian. He didn't want to spoil the moment for them. If they knew they'll definitely want to have a word with him and this wasn't the right time to make new enemies. It was better to keep silent after all, they would leave the day after tomorrow so there was no need to worry the gang. It took him days to convince them to come here, most of them didn't even want to hear about land not to say about humans. They argued, complained and fought but eventually they gave in and tried out. Nothing but a day passed and everyone was calm and relaxing even going on dates. It's not like they had murder in mind not with so many humans around. They were weak and vulnerable here they could never risk it. So only one could take the blame and that was Gandr who had both privileges in land and water. After all, Gandr was the most dangerous of them all and Sebastian knew it very well. But Gandr didn't kill those people.

'Here's to our boy Makara who has a date tonight?' Ken said raising his glass. The rest did the same and cheered for Makara.

Makara was lean and tall. He always wore his creamy achkan and harem trousers, with matching sandals. He had short black hair and a nicely trimmed beard. He looked like a Hindu prince than a sea monster.

'You have to see that girl she's very pretty.' Ken giggled trying to get Gandr's mind off of whatever was troubling him. 'Goldilocks, I call her.'

Ken was the smallest of the bunch. With olive skin and short dark messy hair. He was also the most masculine one, looked like a body builder. His entire body was scarred and he had many stories to tell for each and every one of them.

'I bet you'll have one hell of a night.' Cetus laughed.

Cetus was missing and eye and covering it with an eye patch. The wound Perseus gave him still etched his body, from the head across the right side of his face, down his neck and over his chest. Perseus almost cut him in half and if Cetus knew that he would've used Medusa's head to turn him to stone, he would've rather be dead than become a living fossil. Thanks to Jormugandr Cetus was freed from that curse and now he was alive and kicking, despite the missing eye and the nasty scar.

'She's a human?' Yacu said with his tone base voice and heavy native accent. He had long straight dark hair with feathers and beads trapped in them and dark olive skin.

'Of course, she's human. She couldn't be anything else.' The red haired Ceirean said, pulling his kilt, knee high, to cool his legs. He found the weather on land too warm and if he had to choose between the ocean and land he'd say there's nothing like the ocean.

'Out here you never know.' Ken said. 'Some of these people are form the time of antiquity.' The sea monster's laughter boomed in the bar.

Gandr hit the table with his fist making the glasses shake and stopping their conversation. The others thought they said something offending and looked each other wondering who will take the blame. Gandr muttered a curse and crouched, his head almost hitting the table. Everyone stayed quiet, not talking not even breathing.

The more Gandr thought about it the more furious he got. He couldn't supress it anymore and he felt like he was going to explode. He wanted to grab Sebastian's neck and rip his head off. It wasn't like Sebastian was innocent. The things he had done could imprison him for a life time.

'It's alright.' Ken pat Gandr's shoulder to calm him down, still unaware of what was going on. 'Here have yourself another drink.' He called out the waitress to bring another round but before she got back with more ale Gandr was up and gone leaving the rest of the gang frozen in their seats wondering what went wrong all of a sudden.

Sebastian creeped behind the gargoyles during sunset. The sky exploded in brilliant colours and the Night's chariot was moving across the sky. The moon was already up high as nature was preparing for a stormy weather. Sebastian dragged his feet on the flagstones moving quietly and slowly. The gargoyles were frozen watching the distance, the world and seasons change.

'What do your eyes see?' Sebastian asked.

'Darkness.' The gargoyle answered.

Sebastian stopped and glanced at him. 'What else?'

'Death…' the gargoyle spoke, it's voice deep, old and slow.

'Why is the Reaper here?'

'To take the lost before the Darkness takes them.'

Sebastian frowned. Gargoyles weren't talkative you had to bomb them with questions till you got what you wanted from them. 'What is the darkness?'

'It comes at night and it takes whatever it finds.'

'Who sent the Darkness?'

'Nobody.' Another gargoyle said.

Sebastian tilt his head on the side narrowing his eyes. 'Who is Nobody?'

'Nobody.' The gargoyles chanted one after the other.

Scarlet combed her red hair to a long braid. She took off her maid's uniform and wore her hunter's clothes. She looked more like a female Indiana Jones ready to go for a relic hunt. She sat on her desk's chair and sharpened her sword, which weighted a ton maybe even more. It was bigger than her and the blade was made of cursed silver with black onyx knot carvings. The hilt was made from ivory and with a touch of black obsidian inside golden round frames. The pommel was round and flat on both sides with the sign of the compass drawn on one side and the sign of the dragon on the other. The symbols of Scarlet's house.

Scarlet was ready to take the watch and slay whatever haunted the night. She wasn't going to make the same mistake as yesterday. She was going to find it and kill it, tonight.

Mavis followed the traces of energy she had felt last night to the stables. She found workers there tearing down one of the walls. The grass was still wet and there was still mud there. The carpenters had already started making a new wall, setting up the frame and filling it with wooden planks. She couldn't get closer to the stables and investigate what had happened there. She could only sense the negative vibes still hanging at this place. There was a protection spell made here, a prayer to the goddess. She could feel her ethereal presence surrounding a spot under a tree, in contrast of a dark energy coming from the barn. The same thing she had sensed the night before though here it was stronger. There was no signature though.

She walked around the perimeter of the stables. Round and round she went making a big circle. She found broken branches high on the trees, indicating that something big had passed from here but it left no footprints. It either flew or its footing was so light it almost floated on the ground. She went deeper in the forest, which was getting darker and shadowy due to the twilight. She drifted far and out of the gargoyles view so they won't alarm the vampires to come and get her.

She found smoke in the horizon and smelled of something burning. She run as quietly as she could and found a secret spot in the woods, one of the restricted areas of the Hotel. It was surrounded with a red line that served as a limit marker. She wasn't going to pass it; the barrier might've been invisible but it was still there. If she went through or decided to break it the alarm will go up and the entire Hotel's staff will be here in no time. She decided to climb on the trees as high possible and look down.

The twin demigods were there. They had built a wooden platform and set it ablaze. By the smells of it, it must've been an animal maybe one of the horses or a cowl, she couldn't tell. The stench of burned flesh and hair was reaching the tops of the trees. It was horrible and the barrier poorly made. She could see the edges shining as the setting sun's rays slipped over it. It had cracks and it flickered. The top was widely opened and someone could simply fly over it and land inside it. And the barrier didn't trap all the smells and sounds inside it. It only worked as a reflecting mirror which someone could easily pass through it. Mavis sighed, this is what you got when you deal with witches, cheap made stuff for the price of gold. She could imagine the troubles they got when an animal or a bird hit the barrier. It was horrible. A barrier was easily made and didn't take a lot of magic but this, this was a disgrace to every magic user.

 _Amateurs_ , she thought and jumped down the tree. She fixed her coat and walked back. Whatever was out here she wasn't going to find it today.

As soon as it got dark outside Sebastian went for a stroll in the Hotel's hallways. It was still nine o'clock but one could never be too cautious. Incredibly the ghosts hadn't come out tonight and the shadows didn't crawl out from their hiding place. It was as if something was holding them back.

Sebastian stopped in front of Lapis Lazuli I portrait. Lapis always came out to greet him even if the other ghosts didn't feel like it, but this time it was different. Sebastian waited for a couple of minutes, arms crossed one hand holding his chin. He waited and waited but nothing. Sebastian frowned worried. It was unnatural for Lapis not to come out and say hi. He was always here, always around.

Sebastian crossed the hallway with the portraits waiting for the ghosts to spook him but nothing. Everything was silent and gloomy. Without the ghosts, the Hotel seemed empty. He stopped before taking the stairs to the next floor and took one last peek behind him.

Sebastian took a deep breath his heart thumping behind his chest. This worrying feeling didn't go away and a little voice inside his head kept saying: _something's wrong_. He started going up the stairs. In midway, he heard a distant fading music. A music box maybe or an old broken gramophone. He could barely hear the music, it was fading in and out constantly. It seemed to him that it was coming from the outside. He leaned over to the narrow window on the staircase and looked out. The weather outside was stormy. There were black clouds covering the sky, a sneaky wind was blowing and thunders rolled in the distance. It drizzled a little then it stopped. Still there was no one outside, no one holding or playing a music box. Sebastian found it strange for a music box to sound to clearly all the way to the third floor, it was too high and the walls too thick.

Sebastian shook his head and moved on getting on the floor with the armours. Here the music stopped. It was completely gone leaving a strange silence linger among the walls, hanging over him like a curse. He walked slowly almost dragging his feet on the red carpet. The armours were still and dim. He waited for someone to sneeze or cough, for the general to bark orders but nothing. Even this hallway was strangely quiet. The armours looked creepy and empty.

Sebastian walked to the general, he narrowed his eyes and tried to see through the helmet. The general would've spoken by now but no words came through him. Sebastian slowly lifted the helmet to see if he'd protest, maybe they were all in for a joke. The general didn't like to be touched and he always got angry when somebody lifted his helmet.

The armour was empty. A lonely spider was braiding her web on the back. The general mysteriously wasn't here, for some reason, and as it seemed nor the other knights honoured the Hotel with their presents.

'Hello!' Sebastian said looking at the armours one by one. Nobody answered and this made him even more worried. Never in all the years he's been working here, the Hotel has been so empty.

Sebastian made a clampy step and accidentally, hit the generals leg and the armour collapsed down like a paper tower. The helmet rolled on the carpet making a circle and stopped at Sebastian's foot.

 _This wasn't good._

Sebastian's heart suddenly tightened and his breath was cut off. The knights were gone the ghosts were gone, even the shadows left the hallways. Either the spirits had decided to move on, or somebody used their spiritual power to fuel something, there was no other explanation. Sebastian hopped it was the first reason because if it was the second one, they were in for big trouble.

Mavis was heading back to the Hotel when she noticed that the lights on the third floor started flickering. She stood there watching the windows, the light fading in and out. She heard a rattle behind her and she glanced over her shoulder. There was nobody in the woods, except of some passers taking a walk in the gardens before midnight's restriction. The noise kept coming from within the forest and then the music box sounded, long and distant. Mavis felt an energy manifesting around the Hotel, it was different from the one she sensed last night. This energy was dark and all she could feel was danger coming from it. It was all around her, the Hotel, the gardens the woods. It spread everywhere like smoke.

Mavis followed her senses leading her in to the woods, then around the Hotel and in to the labyrinth. Whatever it was it moved fast. She reached the canter of the labyrinth. It was completely empty. Lorelai's statue was silent and gloomy. She walked around for a while, steadily and slowly. There was another rattle coming from behind her. Mavis quickly turned and caught a glimpse of a dress hiding behind the bushy walls of labyrinth. She took a few steps when another noise came. It was surrounding her, whatever it was it was running in circles and the music box was louder.

Mavis clutched her fists and got ready. Whatever it was it wasn't going to play games with her.

After a few seconds she heard a murmur, someone murmuring to the music box's melody. It was a child a little girl. Mavis turned around and there she was. A small girl wearing a white dress holding a music box in her hands. Her hair was tossed in front of her face. The girl was smiling wickedly, while turning the crank of the box as fast as she could.

Mavis took a deep breathed and eased. This was no child, it was the Darkness and it had come out to play.


	12. Chapter 12: The Darkness (Part 2)

The lights flickered all of a sudden. At the end of the hallway darkness had fallen and the lamps turned off. Sebastian frowned, something very strange was happening. He slowly walked towards the darkest part of the hallway as the lamps that were still on kept flickering. He could hear something like a breath coming from there, a little growl. Sebastian clutched his fists getting ready for whatever was hiding there.

As closer as he got that breathily growl was becoming louder. The lights suddenly turned off. There was a black mass lingering at the end of the hallway, like a black smoky cloud. Sebastian could smell burned, it smelled awful as if somebody or something had caught on fire. Sebastian kept going the darkness growing. His hands started to sweat and his heart was beating faster and faster the closer he got. He had a very bad feeling about this.

He heard the armour of the general clank. He looked behind him to see the helmet roll down his feet. Sebastian made a nervous smile. It was the first time in years he got so angsts and so scared. He usually wasn't frightened very easily, though he could name a few people who send shivers down his spine. This time it was all different. Fear took over him and he'd lie if he said he wasn't shaking. He didn't want to look up, he didn't want to see what was standing there. He didn't want to get in to the darkness. He wanted to run away from here and in to a place with lots and lots of people. But his feet were frozen he couldn't even feel his legs not to say move them. His heart was drumming in his chest it almost popped out. He slowly looked up and grinned frightened.

There was a man standing there, half necked from the waist up, blood all over him. He was crouching and looking tired and weary. He lifted his head up and opened his mouth. A swarm of black flies flew out.

Sebastian didn't realize he was holding his breath all this time until his chest started feeling heavy. His eyes flared bloody red and they were glowing in the darkness. With a sweep of his hand the flies burned in mid-air turning to crisp. The man closed his mouth and stared at Sebastian with his hollow eyes full of hatred. Sebastian lifted his arm up and fire blazed in his palm. The man grinned looking behind Sebastian and Sebastian felt chills down his spine. He slowly turned around, the fire in his palm died out.

Something was coming out of the mass. From the darkness a hand came out, a bony hand with long fingers and black claws. It was dripping with a black ooze as if the mass had materialized in to liquid. The hand touched Sebastian's neck with the tip of its claw and he quickly jumped back. The thing was climbing out, one leg after the other and hands front like a zombie. The skin was wrapped around the bones and there were no muscles no meat nothing. Just dry skin and bones. It had a crooked figure and the spine was arched in to a hump. The head was long it had no eyes just two black lines that were sewn together. The mouth was filled with spiky teeth and its tongue was long and dripping with saliva. The arms and legs were unnaturally long, it looked like a humanoid spider and it even walked like one. The creature opened its mouth releasing a fowl breath and a hiss.

Sebastian smiled nervously. He made a step back accidentally tripping over the helmet at his feet and falling down. He crawled on the red carpet, his limps numb his strength gone. His body refused to follow his mind telling him to get the hell out of there. He touched something with his back, it was that man. Sebastian didn't even glance back, his eyes were locked on the infernal creature coming out of the darkness.

The man grabbed Sebastian's neck and he started choking him. Sebastian tried to release himself form the man's grip but he was too strong. Sebastian's hand started to burn but he couldn't burn the spirit's flesh because he had none. The creature was coming closer and closer, the man was only holding Sebastian for the thing to take him.

Sebastian closed his eyes thinking this was the end of him. He couldn't believe how weak he had appeared in the end and diffidently didn't want to die like this. He survived so many things, wars, battles, betrayals, conflicts, famine. He was tied for years on a stupid rock with venom been spat in his face. No, he couldn't go out like an old washout diva. He had to get up, he had to fight.

Sebastian yelled and his entire body flared in to flames. The spirit let him go, tripping back. The creature hid it's face as if it could see the light of the flames. Sebastian jumped up and raised his arms, consecrating the fire in his two opened palms and he shot.

Scarlet smelled smoke coming from the open window. She quickly got up and looked outside. She didn't see anything peculiar, everything was calm and peaceful. Yet the stench of smoke still lingered. Scarlet closed her eyes and listened. She heard the people next door talking and laughing. She heard the servants in the kitchen washing dishes and preparing tonight's dinner. She heard music from the ballroom and dancing feet. She heard people gossiping, flirting and whispering. She heard the raven fly and the clouds moving on the sky.

Scarlet focused on the smoke and tried to follow the smell with her mind and hearing. She heard someone been chocked and cursing at the same time. It was Sebastian or at least it sounded like him. Scarlet grabbed her sword and went for the door. She stopped before turning the knob. It would've been awkward if people saw her carrying a big sword with her so she decided to go from the rooftops. She took the scabbard with her and sheathed the sword. She climbed out the window and followed Sebastian's voice across the floors.

The girl was distracted. On the third floor the lights had been turned off. Something was set ablaze a fire of some sort burning in the darkness. Mavis found her chance to strike now that the girl's focus was off her. She run quickly like the wind, by taking the wind's power in to her and giving her great speed. She took a leap reaching the girl. The girl stared at her, her mouth opened in to a silent scream. Mavis grabbed the girl's head and pressed it with her fingertips. The girl's body turned grey and dropped to ash. The music box fell on the girl's ashes it opened up and started playing. Mavis stepped on the box breaking it to pieces.

She wiped her hands and turned towards the Hotel. The fire was dying out and since the fire-alarms weren't turning on it meant the fire was made of magic. Magic used different particles to manifest. In this case fire made of magic couldn't be detected by the fire alarms. The girl in the garden was only a distraction. The true threat was inside the Hotel.

The creature tossed Sebastian across the room. He fell on the armours and collapsed with them. He kicked and pushed a breast-plate off him and tried to get up, before slipping on one of the kneecaps and falling down again. He smirked, wiping a string of blood running down his chin.

The creature walked closer to him, gripping on the walls with its long arms to push its self forward. It could barely fit in the hallway, though the hallways were big enough for a horse to pass through. Sebastian got up, spat fire from his hands but the creature didn't flinch. It was becoming invulnerable.

It seemed that Sebastian had to get used to the idea that he was a goner. That this was the end of him and he hated it. He absolutely despised the idea. Who was going to take care of the wolf in the basement when he was gone?

'Did anyone told you, you look like Venom from Spiderman?' Sebastian laughed. The creature used its arm like a whip and hit Sebastian in the face making him stumble back. 'Why aren't you dead Grendel?' Sebastian hissed. The creature cried as if in pain and launched at Sebastian.

Sebastian tried to dodge it but the creature was taking too much space and the armours didn't make things easier. There was not enough room to move, not with that thing in here and let's not forget he spirit who had the habit of chocking and was with Grendel's side for some reason, moving like a rat around Sebastian trying to make him suffocate.

Sebastian hit one of the walls as the creature jumped through the hallway, squeezing him back. The spirit came out of the wall gripping Sebastian's neck again. He even tried to bit his shoulder with its rotting teeth. This spirit was familiar, Sebastian was sure he had seen him at one point in his life. The creature turned around angrily and saw Sebastian pinned on the wall. It seemed like it was smiling, though the length of its mouth made it difficult to tell if it was smiling or if it just had big mouth.

The creature slowly walked to him. It only made a few steps and there it was in Sebastian's face. Sebastian grinned, still nervous and scared. He couldn't count the times he escaped death, they were countless. Yet this time it seemed like his luck had finally run out. Who would've thought that this great figure from antiquity would go down, not in a blaze of glory but in the hands of Grendel and her ghost friend? Sebastian almost laughed.

'Thor would definitely laugh his heart out if he saw me.' Sebastian mumbled.

The window crashed and Scarlet rolled on the floor with her sword out. The creature turned to her and Scarlet was on her feet running straight at it, sword up high. The creature didn't even had time to move when Scarlet's cursed sword fell up on its back wounding it. The flesh burned and the creature screamed in terrible agony.

'It was about time.' Sebastian muttered.

Scarlet's face had changed, black veins popped out around her darkening eyes and cheeks, her white fangs grew longer and larger and she growled like a beast.

The creature touched it's back as smoke rose out of the wound. The blood was thick and black and it smelled even afoul than the creature's breath. The creature was furious now, it had two to deal with. The spirit kept holding on Sebastian while Scarlet stood in the middle of the hallway facing the creature. Grendel let out a shrieking roar and Scarlet charged. With quick moves, she cut the creature's flesh multiple times but the skin was too thick for the sword's blade to pass through it. The more Scarlet cut Grendel, the quicker the wounds were healing. Grendel was becoming immune to Scarlet's cursed sword.

Scarlet jumped back breathless, eyes locked on the creature. It should've been dead and bleeding by now but as it seemed Scarlet did no harm to it. Grendel was still holding on perfectly well and it was becoming even stronger.

'We have to run.' Scarlet said.

'Are you insane we can't have that thing running free in the Hotel.' Sebastian protested.

'Are you stupid or what?' Scarlet got angry with him. 'I can't fight it.'

'Yes, you can. You're a bloody vampire.'

Scarlet pressed her lips in to a thin line angrily. She couldn't argue with him not now, not while there was a monster on the loose.

'You have to stop it.'

'Me?'

'Yes you. As you may see I'm a bit busy right now.' Sebastian said.

Scarlet relaxed her breathing. All she had was her cursed sword, she killed the dead with it, vampires, werewolves she killed many creatures with this sword and yet it was no match against the Grendel monster.

'Bite it.' Sebastian yelled as the creature made its move again running slowly against Scarlet.

'What?'

'Bite it.'

'Are you serious? If it's immune to the sword then it's immune to a vampire's bite.'

'You lose nothing if you try.'

'As if I'll bite that thing.' Scarlet raised her sword and blocked Grendel's fist.

She managed to make a deep wound on its wrist and forced Grendel to jump back. Grendel took its crooked arm hanging carelessly and put it back in its place. The wound soon healed and that was when Scarlet knew it was a waste of time to keep cutting the creature. The sword didn't work, it only worked on the damned not on things made by gods. All she could do now was take Sebastian and run the hell out of here. But what of all the people and their friends, they couldn't simply leave them.

'We have to go.' She said giving no further thought. 'We have to leave, call for help.'

'From who?' Sebastian's hands started burning again, his flame was back. He touched the man's head and he screamed as the flames surrounded him. He let Sebastian go and fell behind disappearing in to the wall. Sebastian fixed his tie and vest, he wasn't going to let that monster terrorize him any longer.

'Solas.' A voice sounded and the lamps turned on.

The creature made an awful cry and tried to merge back in the darkness. But Mavis was there and she was quick like the wind once again, running up the stairs and in to the hallway. Sebastian and Scarlet turned towards her. Mavis stopped releasing a small amount of her energy, enough to weaken the creature and bring a terrible headache to Sebastian and Scarlet. The two fell on their knees holding their heads. It was as if gravity had suddenly increased and it was pulling them down to the ground like magnet.

Sebastian tried to focus but it was difficult, the head ache was unbearable and he felt as if his head was going to split opened. Scarlet was already down, and unconscious, bleeding from her nose, the sword fallen beside her was vibrating as if it too could feel Mavis's energy release.

Mavis walked pass them. Grendel couldn't concentrate either. It might've been immune to certain attacks but it wasn't immune to a warlock. No matter how hard it tried it couldn't resist it nor grow used to it. Mavis's magic was too powerful and she only used ten percent of it. Enough to stop the creature and enough not to set on the alarms of the hotel and summon all the witches and the vampires here. She also put a restricting barrier around the third floor, just in case her magic leaks, it would be stopped and nobody will sense anything. Thankfully nobody was in the rooms and she could go out of control if she had too without having any side casualties.

Mavis clutched her fist, one hand spread opened on the stone wall, devouring the power of the stone in to her making her fist solid, hard and strong. She started running, she practically flew above the ground. She charged at the creature, her arm up, shoulder high, her fist clutched tightly. She arched her body, pulled her fist back and launched a punch in to Grendel's face. Grendel fell back its face smashed against Mavis's fist. Blood splattered on the walls, along with broken teeth, bones and flesh. All that was left of Grendel's head was the jaw but the creature was still alive and kicking. Disoriented but still alive. Its face started reconstructing a minute after. The bone filled in like a puzzle. The skin grew and soon a new face was forming.

Mavis turned to the darkness, the black mass behind Grendel. It was the main source of the creature's energy. Mavis clutched her fist and a beam of golden light exploded with in it like the power of a thousand suns.

Sebastian's jaw dropped while watching Mavis use that magic. The first thought in his head was that she was some kind of a god. There was no other explanation on how that woman had so much power in her. Only gods could do magic like that, draw magic from objects then use it as their own, release so much spiritual energy that made people crumble and fall on their knees. What else could she be? If not a god then…

'Oh shit…' Sebastian muttered sitting down unable to do anything but watch Mavis taking down Grendel.

Mavis clenched her teeth and tossed her arm front toward the creature. The beam pierced though the creature's chest and launched in to the dark mass behind it. The light acted like a parasite, eating and burning Grendel's flesh turning it to ash, then moving to the darkness devouring it. It made a hole in its canter and the darkness was dissolving fast. The creature cried in agony holding its head and screaming in pain. The light was tearing it apart eating its flesh, bones and innards. Before it completely collapsed, before the light had eaten the creature almost entirely, for one last time it raised a trembling hand, a call out for mercy. The sewn eyes opened and tears fell. It was crying, Grendel was still human inside but it was too late, the light had taken i's life and the source of its power leaving nothing but ash in their place.

Mavis relaxed. She decreased her spiritual energy to almost zero percent and she felt like human. She took down the barrier and the hallways got fixed from all the holes and the battle signs as soon as it dropped. Mavis stood there silently, listening, feeling, sensing. The energies had calmed down, there was but a faint trace of what was here still lingering in the air. But something felt off.

Sebastian got up, his hair was a mess and so was he. Scarlet was slowly coming back from her slumber. She sat back, her head feeling heavier than normal. She had to use her sword to support herself and back on her feet. She felt like she was on a ship caught in storm. Mavis's release was too much for her to take and it will surely give her side effect for the rest of the evening.

'Thanks.' Sebastian said.

'It's not over yet.' Mavis said emotionally blank.

She wasn't even tired, neither was she moved by Grendel's last act for mercy. She was cold and stoic and emotionless. Her eyes didn't have the slightest sympathy for anyone. The entire world could burn and she won't even blink. Only one certain species in the world was so empty and Sebastian cursed himself for crossing paths with them, those infernal primitive creatures who hide underground like moles.

'For now, it is.' Sebastian insisted. 'Listen, whatever happens here it's my problem not yours, so you can keep your little warlock hands out of my business.'

Mavis narrowed her eyes and Sebastian found it a good time to shut up and stop been a smart ass.

'Thanks very much. We really appreciate it.' Sebastian smiled.

Mavis stood there silently. She was sure there was something strange going on with the butler. He definitely wasn't who he said he was, yet she couldn't put her mind to tell what he reminded her of. Mavis quietly left the floor not wanting to make any more commotion. After all, the butler _had_ one things right: it was their problem not hers. She'd better stay out of it before anyone else finds out about her.

As soon as Mavis left Sebastian finally was able to breathe. He glanced at Scarlet wearing her _I-don't-approve_ face. But Scarlet could easily be dealt with, he had more bigger problems than her. Sebastian fixed his vest and tie and lastly put his messy hair back together.

'Shall we go?' he said and Scarlet kept glaring at him still not approving. 'What?' Sebastian roared behind his teeth.

Suddenly a female voice sounded, a scream. Sebastian and Scarlet quickly jumped out of the window not wanting to waste any more precious time, afraid the Grendel had come back. They went around the Hotel to find a shaking woman, kneeling down and staring up while holding her mouth and crying.

Sebastian cursed under his breath, watching the magician hang from the window, lifeless, his legs daggling feet above the ground.


	13. Chapter 13: Mischief

Cold wind was blowing, scattering brown leaves and flowers petals around the green grass. as spring turned suddenly to autumn. Clouds filled the sky, dark and grey filled with rain ready to be dropped.

A woman's big white hat was blown away as the doors of the Ghost Hotel opened and people, standing in line left and right letting the magician's shiny black coffin pass.

The vampires put the coffin in a cart filled with a sea of black, white and purple flowers. Four drummers at the front, drummed a sad, heart wrecking rhythm for the funeral march to start. The driver hit the black velvet reins and the black stallions galloped outside the gates, followed by Anel Lebastille and his staff, who held totem sticks with bird skulls on top and colourful feathers. With every step they took, they hit the totems on the ground as hard as they could and raised their hands up while chanting. Right behind them the witches, dressed like gothic Lolitas' and wearing expressionless golden masks, danced a macabre dance, making spastic gestures as if they were trying to cast a spell. After them came the vampires, with grave faces humming to the rhythm of the drums.

The Madam followed next. As tradition had it she had to wear red at every funeral and a red tulle over her head to hide her face. She was like a red stain in the blackness of the marchers. Beside her Sebastian, Scarlet and the twins marched. A few feet away followed the rest of the mourners. Ladies dressed with long lace tulles and black Victorian dresses, holding bouquets in their hands or a single black rose. The men wore fine black suits and top hats. Some had their faces painted morbidly white like skulls.

In the middle, there was a carriage with offerings for the magician, his suitcase and personal belongings; rise, dry meat, wine, ale, fruits, a pouch with golden coins for the boat man, as well as two wooden horses and a wooden chariot to take with him to the afterlife. Munin and Hugin were flying up ahead and crowing warning everyone to move away for the march to pass.

The march was deathly slow and like ghosts they drifted through the forest, the bogs and the woodlands, separating the nearest town from the Hotel.

The magician had no relatives and his friends weren't interested in burying him. The Madam decided to pay all the funeral expenses and bury the magician in the town's ancient cemetery, after taking an acceptance letter from the town's priest and mayor. The Madam had to push them hard to let them bury the magician there, because the townsfolk didn't want to have any business with the Ghost Hotel. They were afraid of it and knew very well what hid behind its walls, what kind of infernal beings it kept. They almost said no but the Madam was generous and offered to pay for the towns next renovation project _forcing_ them to accept. The townsfolk could've been afraid of them but when money came in the way they forgot all about their superstitions and religion.

When the march finally reached the farmlands after many hours and the first signs of civilization started appearing, they had become a ghoulish spectacle to watch. The Folk stopped their work or jumped out of the road to let this marching monstrosity pass. A milk-man with his cart and ox almost fell in the trench trying to go as far on the side of the dirt road as possible and avoid the march. The farmers made the sign of the cross and kneeled on the ground murmuring prayers. Some raised their pendant crosses over their heads pointing them at the infernal march. The shepherds quickly withdrew their cattle and sheep out of the way and shuffled in their leather lunch bags for some salt to toss around them.

It wasn't every day that the Ghost Hotel had a funeral, but when they did it was real freak show. The Folk never saw the Hotel, they didn't even dare to go near it. They even warned passers and travellers not to go there but around it if they must. The Folk were stuck in the dark ages. Their culture was ancient and so were their beliefs, until money talked then everything changed.

The Folks source of fear was due to the Fae. Once long ago the Fae ruled this land; when the great war ended and Alfheimr was destroyed the Fae settled in Midgard and build their refuge here. The ground where the Ghost Hotel stands used to be their territory. The Fae kept to themselves and had no business with the Folk. But whenever the humans tried to trespass their land the Fae took them and never gave them back. There were many tales and stories about the Fae among the Folk, and the best they did was to keep away from them.

The Folk still believed the Fae were beyond the woodlands, hiding inside trees and mountain caves, in rivers and lakes, but they weren't here anymore. Only a handful of Fae were left and they were scattered across the North, hidden from people. After the Industrial Revolution, the Fae fled to other places far, far away from the Folk and their noisy, horrible machines which destroyed their forests.

In the distance, the church bells rang a sign they were getting closer. The funeral march proceeded leaving the farmlands and the frightened Folk behind.

Argo and Regina were among the marchers. She saw the villagers' reactions and didn't know what to make of it. She could tell this was no ordinary funeral. It looked more like a gothic circus marching to town to call out all the townspeople to watch the greatest show in their lives. If it wasn't for the cart with the coffin, she would had forgotten she was at a funeral and mistakenly think she was in a freakish parade.

After the farming lands another bog started, where an old arched troll bridge stood solemnly. It even had an old hanging sign with a warning for trolls. The waters of the bog where dark and smelled horribly. Frogs sang their songs as flies and mosquitos flew around them. Argo could swear she had seen ghastly faces in the dirty waters of the bog, that looked like Munch's Scream painting. She could see among the crying willow trees, tiny white figures, that were glowing under the willows shades, with round black eyes and mouths shaking their heads and making clacking sounds.

Argo shook those images out of her head and turned her attention somewhere else. But every time she looked the waters or the willows she could still see strange things or creatures popping out every once and a while.

In the distance, about a dozen feet away, someone was following the march. He was tall and skinny, wearing a black tux with a black top hat and a Plague Doctor's mask covering his face and copper goggles over the eyes. His arms were behind his back, his chest puffed out and walked unmistakably as if there were no obstacles blocking his path.

'Do you see that guy?' Argo whispered to Regina.

Regina took a glimpse towards the Plague Doctor's way and said. 'No.'

'You can't see the guy with the mask?' Argo insisted.

'No. There's nobody there.' Regina said.

Argo looked back at the masked man and then at the marchers. Only a few turned and looked his way the rest couldn't see him. Those who could whispered something between them. Argo frowned feeling chills down her spine. She had seen strange things at the Hotel but she never put herself to think about them or give them any attention. Her grandfather did warn her about strange things going on at the Hotel and that she shouldn't interfere. Argo listened to her grandfather and didn't ask questions, it was after all against the Hotel's rules to ask the staff questions or interfere in the privacy of the guests. That doctor though looked different than the things she saw in the Hotel. She didn't know why, it was only a gut feeling warning her for something.

'Is that Charon?' Scarlet whispered to Sebastian. He lifted his head up and took a better look at the Plague Doctor, hopping and jumping over the rocks like a small school girl.

'No.' Lycastus shouted and everyone shoosh him.

'Who is he then?' Scarlet asked again and at the moment she turned back to Sebastian he was gone.

Mavis went up on the roof of the Hotel to see the Gargoyles. The incident two nights ago was still bothering her. It had stuck in her head and she felt the urge to get to the bottom of it. There was something very wrong going on in the Hotel and it wasn't due to the things that lingered here. Everyone was peaceful, dangerous but peaceful. She hadn't seen any threatening moves made by the staff, or any bad intentions from them. Whatever was coming it was coming from the outside and she wanted to know what it was. It always left a stain behind it, a stain she still couldn't figure out what it was and her curiosity was growing. Most importantly she didn't want Argo to get caught in the middle of it and accidentally awakening her powers. Nobody knew what she was able to do. This entire structure could blow up to smithereens just with one of Argo's emotional breakdowns. The girl was dangerous, probably even more dangerous than the thing leaving its stain at the Hotel.

The gargoyles were quietly watching the distance, observing the Hotel's surrounding area and the guests that were left behind. They could see the march up ahead reaching slowly to its destination. One thing was sure, they'll be back during nightfall. The Hotel was unprotected for now, but during day time nothing happened. Everything happened at night when the Darkness came out.

'What do your eyes see?' Mavis asked standing between two gargoyles.

'Darkness…' one of the gargoyles said with its heavy voice.

'Where is this darkness coming from?'

'Everywhere.' The gargoyle said. 'It's all around us waiting to come out.'

Mavis looked at the gargoyle with the corner of her eyes, silently for a while. 'How far do your eyes see?'

'Far enough…' the gargoyle on her left said.

'You have Heimdall's gift.'

'Heimdall could see throughout the world. We can only see a small part of it.' An old tired gargoyle said with a broken voice.

'Do you see me?' Mavis asked.

'No. We are not allowed to see you.'

'Why?'

'Because of what you are.' The gargoyle answered

'I thought you were _only not_ allowed to see gods.'

'We aren't allowed to see you either.'

'And what do you see in my place.' Mavis asked.

'White mist.'

Mavis got silent again and then she asked suddenly. 'What do you see in Sebastian?'

'Fire.' The gargoyle answered.

Mavis knew there was something off with the butler and the secrecy around him. She knew very well about the gargoyles not been allowed to observe the gods as well as the warlocks in case somebody asked them what they were doing. It wasn't a surprise the gargoyles said they saw mist instead of her. It was their mind, programmed to replace gods and warlocks with other factors according to the colour of their spiritual energy. Mavis only wanted to see the theory in practice and it was true. Now she was determinate that the Darkness the gargoyles were seen wasn't a natural phenomenon or a metaphor. They were describing the person or thing they were seeing, the one who left the stain, and since they couldn't see it as a person they saw it as darkness.

'What is the name of the Darkness?' she asked.

'Nobody.' The gargoyles said.

'What time does Nobody come out?'

'It's already out.' The gargoyle lifted its arm, slowly up, as he moved pebbles fell off and he pointed in the distance towards the forest.

Sebastian followed the Plague Doctor, keeping a safe distance.

The Plague Doctor already knew Sebastian was behind him and he smiled under his mask. He wanted Sebastian to follow him, he couldn't be more honoured than having the notorious and mysterious butler of the Ghost Hotel at his tail. And since Sebastian was found incompetent of solving the murder mysteries, there couldn't be a better way or day for the Plague Doctor to finally show up.

'Who are you?' Sebastian asked stopping.

The Doctor made a pause too, his back against the butler. 'Who are you?' The Doctor repeated.

'I asked you a question.' Sebastian said.

'I asked you a question.'

Sebastian frowned his eyes dissolving from green to bloody red. 'Who are you?' he said slowly.

'Who are you?' the Doctor repeated like a parrot.

Sebastian was already getting angry. This conversation was getting him nowhere. This Doctor poser wasn't from the Hotel. He knew the employees and guests not only by face also by name. And he definitely wasn't a Fae remnant. Sebastian could sense the Doctor had nothing to do with the River Dream, which happened to pass through here and occasionally the moonstruck could see lost souls travel through it. And he wasn't a Kodama due to his size and his not-shaky-head.

'I'll ask one last time….'

'I'll ask one last time.' The Doctor repeated before Sebastian finished what he wanted to say.

Sebastian took a deep breath calming down. He could see the energy of the Doctor sketching his figure, wrapping around him tightly like a snake. It was dark smoky grey and it was definitely not friendly. This person was no creature but he knew magic. Worse of all he could mask his energy and not let other people read it, or else Sebastian would've sensed him.

From behind the trees Sebastian heard a giggle. He turned and saw a woman dressed in leather, with shoulder length black hair, icy white eyes and dead pale skin. She walked out like a slithering snake trying hard to look sensual and stood between him and the Doctor. Her energy was pitch black, like a cloud it surrounded her. She tilts her head on the side and smiled, showing off her yellowish teeth and fangs.

Sebastian made a step back and clutched his fists. His eyes flared spitting out fire. His skin was burning and a mist of red had crawled around him like a dragon. This woman had stronger magic user than the Doctor and she wasn't an ordinary magic user she was a god.

'Hello Sebastian!' she said giggling as if mocking him.

'Hello Sebastian.' The Plague Doctor said with clear voice as if he wasn't wearing a mask.

Sebastian's anger flared with the fires around him.

'You have finally come.' Ate clapped her hands excitedly. 'Ow don't tell me you left your beastly all alone.' She pouts, trying to look sad but it only lasted for a split second. 'I wonder what he's doing now!' she laughed.

'What do you want?' Sebastian asked.

'Nothing. We're only here to say hello!' Ate giggled. All she seemed to do was giggle and that made Sebastian even angrier. 'And that it's dangerous keeping such a creature locked in the Hotel. You never know who might try to let him out.' Ate smiled and from her pocket she pulled out the ring of keys Sebastian had in in his office. The keys he hid very well so that no one will find them. And one of those keys opened the wolf's cage.

Sebastian clenched his teeth and tighten his fists. His hands almost bleed as his nails pierced his skin. 'What did you do?' he growled.

Ate smiled. 'Who knows!' she said and wiggled her fingers and with a sweep of her arm a thick cloud of smoke rose from Ate's feet and quickly surrounded them.

Sebastian run trying to stop them but he was too late. Both of them vanished before he even reached them.


End file.
